NEW DELHI: Russian President Vladimir Putin lands in India on Thursday for his first visit in four years, kicking off the trip with a private dinner hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The visit, taking place amid a rapidly evolving global order and ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, is expected to put economic cooperation at the centre of talks.

Private dinner diplomacy

Putin’s arrival on Thursday evening will be followed by an intimate dinner with PM Modi. The leaders are expected to review the full spectrum of the special and privileged strategic partnership: defence ties, energy security, trade expansion and cooperation in emerging sectors. They will also exchange views on key global and regional issues, including developments in Eurasia and the Indo-Pacific.

Rajghat tribute, ceremonial welcome & summit

The Russian president’s key engagements are scheduled for Friday. He begins the day with a visit to Rajghat, paying homage to Mahatma Gandhi — a customary stop for visiting heads of state. This will be followed by a formal welcome at Rashtrapati Bhavan, setting the stage for the main summit-level talks at Hyderabad House. The two leaders will meet for wide-ranging discussions aimed at strengthening economic integration, enhancing trade routes, and advancing cooperation in technology, space, logistics and innovation. After a working lunch with PM Modi, Putin will address the India-Russia Business Forum, where both sides hope to energise private-sector partnerships and attract new investments. In the evening, Putin will return to Rashtrapati Bhavan where President Droupadi Murmu will host a state banquet in his honour. He is expected to depart around 9.30pm.

Trade & big-ticket agreements in focus

Putin’s aide confirmed that a joint statement is planned, along with the signing of several bilateral documents spanning multiple sectors. Among them is the Programme for the Development of Strategic Areas of Russian-Indian Economic Cooperation until 2030 — seen as a roadmap to boost long-term trade and industrial collaboration. Ushakov highlighted that the two sides will delve deeply into trade dynamics. Bilateral trade touched $63.6 billion in 2024, marking a 12% increase — driven largely by energy, fertilisers, and machinery. “We have many large-scale promising projects in various areas,” he said, listing industrial cooperation, innovative technologies, peaceful space exploration, transport, mining, healthcare, and labour migration programmes among the priorities. Putin will also participate in the launch event for RT TV’s India operations, signalling Moscow’s intent to expand media and cultural outreach as part of its soft-power strategy. PM Modi and Putin have spoken by phone five times in 2024, and last held an in-person meeting on the sidelines of the SCO Summit in Tianjin. Despite global geopolitical upheavals, the India-Russia relationship continues to adapt, balancing legacy defence ties with new-age cooperation in technology, energy transition, education and workforce mobility.

IndiGo, India’s largest airline, has delayed or cancelled hundreds of flights over the past two days as it struggles with new pilot rest and duty-hour norms, even a month after the aviation regulator implemented them. The airline, which operates around 2,300 domestic and international flights each day, said on Wednesday that a “multitude of unforeseen operational challenges” had severely disrupted its network over the past two days, and apologised to passengers for the inconvenience. It added that the disruptions are expected to persist for the next 48 hours.

On Tuesday, just three out of 10 flights departed on schedule, despite punctuality being a key service promise.Almost 62 per cent of the 1,232 flights IndiGo cancelled in November were attributed to “crew constraints”.

IndiGo flight cancellations: What are the new pilot roster norms?

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) implemented the latest FDTL norms from November 1, following a Delhi High Court mandate. The rules, which increase weekly rest periods to 48 hours, extend night duty hours, and limit night landings to two per week instead of six, cap the number of landings a pilot can perform between 12 am and 6 am.The DGCA had implemented more humane crew duty norms from November 1, following serious complaints of fatigue from cockpit crew across Indian carriers.Also read: IndiGo continues to face nationwide flight delays, cancellations; what led to the chaos — 10 things to knowAlthough IndiGo and other domestic carriers, including Tata Group-owned Air India, lobbied heavily to postpone the norms, the DGCA enforced them with only limited relaxations. The rollout was phased, with the first phase taking effect in July and the second phase, restricting night landings from six to two, coming into force on November 1, over a year after the rules were initially proposed.The norms were originally scheduled to be implemented in March 2024, but airlines had requested a phased rollout, citing the need for additional crew, as cited by PTI. On Wednesday, IndiGo said it has initiated calibrated adjustments to its schedules “to contain the disruption and restore stability,” though the airline did not disclose specific figures.Over the past year, IndiGo’s owned fleet grew by just 24 aircraft, hindered by slow Airbus deliveries and the grounding of more than 40 planes due to Pratt & Whitney engine issues. The airline also added over 20 damp-lease aircraft, operated by pilots from the leasing airline, as reported by ET.While these new norms increased the demand for pilots, the November cancellation data indicate that IndiGo is struggling to meet the requirement. The airline’s on-time performance (OTP) also fell sharply, dropping from 84.1 per cent in October 2025 to 67.7 per cent last month.A spokesperson for IndiGo cited technology glitches, adverse weather, airport congestion, and the new duty rules as reasons for the flight disruptions. “To contain the disruption and restore stability, we have initiated calibrated adjustments to our schedules. These measures will remain in place for hours and will allow us to normalise our operations,” the spokesperson said according to an ET report.Sources quoted in the ET report said that IndiGo did not recruit additional pilots or ramp up training in time for the new rest norms, which left its available crew overextended, with frequent reassignments, longer duty hours, and increased deadheading, travelling as passengers to operate flights from a different station.“IndiGo has always maintained around 4 per cent crew as a buffer for extraordinary situations,” an official involved in crew planning was quoted as saying by ET. “With the increased requirement of crew due to the new rules, the buffer is zero. That the rules would take effect from November was known to all. Not planning accordingly was a strategic mistake.”

UAE temperatures drop amid fog warnings and rain / AI Generated Image

The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) says the UAE is entering a spell of cooler, unstable weather this month driven by a northerly system, with temperatures expected to fall by about six degrees Celsius compared with November and a risk of light rain, fog and cooler nights. This shift is already prompting weather warnings and advisories for parts of the country.

UAE winter is here

The United Arab Emirates is making a decisive shift from autumn to winter, driven by a powerful atmospheric change. The country is now under the direct influence of the Siberian high-pressure system, according to the National Centre of Meteorology (NCM).

This system ushers in colder air masses, immediately causing temperatures to fall noticeably. Historically, December is the month that sees both maximum and minimum temperatures decrease by three to six degrees Celsius. This year, temperatures are expected to drop by around six degrees Celsius when compared to figures from November. This cooling trend will be most significant across the UAE’s inland and mountainous areas.

What to expect daily?

The weather pattern across the Emirates will be mixed, featuring light rainfall and increased cloud cover. The NCM forecasts skies to be partly cloudy to cloudy at times, especially due to low clouds developing over the islands and parts of the western region. There is a confirmed chance of light rain possible overnight and into Friday morning, mainly over islands and western coastal areas. Beyond this initial rainfall, the country may also be impacted by passing low-pressure systems coming in from the west. These systems are responsible for increasing cloud cover and will bring occasional rain throughout the period. Winds will be light to moderate, generally blowing from the south-east to the north-west at speeds ranging from 10 to 20 km/h, though they could reach up to 30 km/h. Sea conditions in both the Arabian Gulf and the Oman Sea are expected to remain slight.

KSA safety advisory

In Saudi Arabia,di Arabia, the National Centre for Meteorology (NCM) has issued alerts for widespread weather instability across nine regions of the Kingdom.

Safety alert

The shift to cooler air masses over the warm Gulf waters introduces a major public safety concern: a significant rise in humidity. This increased humidity is set to peak late at night and in the early hours of the morning. Consequently, there is a high chance of fog or light fog forming, particularly over the internal areas of the country. This fog formation poses a direct risk to motorists, as visibility can drop sharply and suddenly. The NCM stresses that this humidity, which brings light to dense fog, will be a persistent factor in the early mornings. Motorists should exercise extreme caution during these early morning hours, especially on major highways in inland areas, and follow official safety instructions due to the potential for reduced visibility.

A father of seven was not told he was terminally ill by doctors, who instead said he would be okay, an investigation has found.

William Chapman, known as Syd, only found out he had deadly pulmonary fibrosis when his GP, who thought he already knew the prognosis, mentioned it during a phone call.

He died eight months later.

An investigation by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) has found doctors at the Countess of Chester Hospital showed a “worrying lack of accountability” and failed to keep proper records, engage fully with Mr Chapman’s family or learn from mistakes.

The 58-year-old, from Upton in Cheshire, died in 2022.

The grandfather of 16 was admitted to hospital in July 2021 with deteriorating shortness of breath and was diagnosed with COVID-19, and also underwent further tests.

In September that year, a junior doctor told him there was nothing to worry about and reassured him he would be OK, despite not having evidence this would be true.

In November, Mr Chapman was seen by a consultant who noted in a letter to his GP he had pulmonary fibrosis.

The condition involves a thickening and scarring of lung tissue, which worsens over time.

It makes it harder for the lungs to function, leading to increasing shortness of breath and a dry cough. There is no cure, and treatments can only work to relieve symptoms and slow down the condition a little.

The consultant did not send Mr Chapman a copy of the letter or tell him about the diagnosis, as they should have.

‘We lost all that time to spend together’

Mr Chapman’s daughter Chantelle, 32, said: “We feel completely let down by the Trust.

“My dad thought he was going to get better, because that’s what they led him to believe. Because of that he carried on working, even though it was a struggle for him.

“If he had known the truth, he would have given up work and made the most of the time he had left with his family.

“By the time he was given the information to make that decision he was too poorly to work anyway, he was practically bed-bound. We all lost that time to spend together.”

The PHSO ruled that if Mr Chapman had been told his prognosis, he would have been able to make informed decisions about his health. But as it was, he was not prepared when later told the extent of his condition.

It also found hospital staff failed to listen to his family and there was poor or no record-keeping of some consultations.

The PHSO found no failings in clinical care.

The trust has complied with a recommendation to apologise, make service improvements, improve its recordkeeping and pay Mr Chapman’s wife £1,200.

A Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust spokesperson said: “We apologise unreservedly for the experiences of Mr Chapman and his family.

“We fully accept the findings and recommendations of the Ombudsman and will continue to embed the improvements.”

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra; PM Narendra Modi

NEW DELHI: Asked to comment on the rupee breaching the 90 mark against the US dollar for the first time, Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Thursday recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 2013 jibe at his predecessor, then–PM Manmohan Singh, and told reporters that the question should be directed to the prime minister, not her.Also Read | ‘Who is mute & maun now?’: Opposition hits out at PM Modi as rupee breaches Rs 90 mark against dollar“What did they use to say when Dr Manmohan Singh was prime minister? What is their response today? Ask them. Why are you asking me?” she said at Parliament complex.

On August 24, 2013, Modi — then the Gujarat chief minister — had attacked the then–PM over the falling rupee, saying both Singh and the domestic currency had become “mute.”“There was a time when the Indian rupee was making a lot of noise. But today it has lost its voice. And similarly, we are unable to hear the voice of our prime minister. Both have turned mute,” he had said at the time.“Today, our currency is on its deathbed. It is in the terminal stage and urgently needs the attention of a doctor,” he had remarked.On Wednesday, as the rupee breached the 90 level against the dollar, the opposition reminded PM Modi of his past remarks targeting Singh over the currency’s slide.Meanwhile, in early trade on Thursday, the rupee slid another 28 paise to a fresh all-time low of 90.43 against the US dollar.‘Govt not losing sleep’: CEA NageswaranChief Economic Adviser V Anantha Nageswaran on Wednesday said the government is “not losing sleep” over the rupee’s decline.“The falling rupee is not affecting inflation or exports,” Nageswaran told reporters on the sidelines of a business event in the capital, according to news agency PTI.However, he expressed hope that the situation would improve next year.