Top news headlines of today – 4 Dec 2025

New Delhi: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday night kick-started a nearly 27-hour visit to India to further shore up a nearly eight-decade bilateral partnership that remained in firm footing notwithstanding fractious geopolitical environment and tensions.

In reflection of the importance India attached to the visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi received Putin at New Delhi's Palam airport with a hug and accorded him a warm welcome to India after a gap of four years.

The two leaders left the airport in the same car, nearly three months after they travelled together on a vehicle in the Chinese city of Tianjin following the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.

Modi is hosting a private dinner for Putin this evening, in reciprocal gesture to the hospitality extended to the Indian prime minister by the Russian leader during his visit to Moscow in July last year.

The conversation between the two leaders this evening is expected to set the tone for the 23rd India-Russia summit talks on Friday that is expected to produce a number of key outcomes.

Boosting defence ties, insulating India-Russia trade from external pressure and exploring cooperation in small modular reactors are set to be the focus of the summit meeting between the two leaders that is expected to be closely watched by Western capitals.

The Russian leader's visit to New Delhi has assumed greater significance as it is taking place against the backdrop of rapid downturn in India-US relations. Following the summit, the two sides are expected to seal several agreements including in areas of trade.

On Friday morning, Putin will be accorded a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan before the summit.

Modi will also host a working lunch for the Russian leader and his delegation at Hyderabad House, the venue for the summit.

Follow this page as we track big developments of the day...

Dec 04, 2025 19:38 IST
BJP plans 13,000 meetings across West Bengal ahead of 2026 elections
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to address at least seven rallies in West Bengal ahead of the announcement of poll dates for the 2026 assembly elections, the BJP said on Thursday.
Addressing a press meet, senior party leader Rahul Sinha said apart from these major gatherings, the party plans to hold 13,000 big and small meetings for over a month across the state starting Friday. READ MORE



Dec 04, 2025 19:02 IST
Russian president Vladimir Putin arrives in Delhi on 2-day visit
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi Thursday evening on a two-day visit to further expand a nearly eight-decade India-Russia partnership that remained instead notwithstanding a fractious geopolitical environment.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will host a private dinner for Putin this evening to set the tone for the 23rd India-Russia summit talks on Friday. READ MORE



Dec 04, 2025 18:49 IST
98.84% of enumeration forms digitised so far during West Bengal SIR
An estimated 98.84 per cent of the filled enumeration forms have been digitised till Thursday afternoon during the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, the Election Commission said.
West Bengal thus occupied the fourth spot among the states and Union territories in terms of digitisation of enumeration forms, trailing behind Lakshadweep, Rajasthan and Goa, which recorded 100, 99.81 and 99.16 per cent, respectively, according to the EC. READ MORE



Dec 04, 2025 18:35 IST
Bansuri Swaraj mourns father Swaraj Kaushal, calling him her greatest pride
Former Mizoram governor and senior advocate Swaraj Kaushal died on Thursday, Delhi BJP said in a statement. He was 73.
Kaushal, husband of late BJP veteran Sushma Swaraj, was the father of New Delhi MP Bansuri Swaraj.
"We are sorry to inform the sudden demise of former Governor of Mizoram, senior advocate Swaraj Kaushal," the party said in a message. READ MORE



Dec 04, 2025 18:05 IST
NDMC spruces up Lutyens' Delhi ahead of Putin's high-profile visit
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has spruced up Lutyens’ Delhi with intensified beautification and maintenance efforts ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s arrival in the national capital on Thursday for a nearly 27-hour visit.
A senior NDMC official said the civic body maintains the highest standards of cleanliness year-round, given the presence of key institutions such as the Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament and various ministries in the area. READ MORE



Dec 04, 2025 17:43 IST
Need to make India-Russia trade more balanced: Piyush Goyal
Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said there are huge opportunities to expand bilateral trade between India and Russia and work towards making it more balanced.
He said sectors that hold potential to boost exports from India to Russia include consumer goods, food products, automobiles, tractors, heavy commercial vehicles, electronics like smartphones, industrial components, and textiles. READ MORE



Dec 04, 2025 17:41 IST
Delhi govt will install 305 mist sprayers at nine pollution hotspots: CM Gupta
The Delhi government is preparing an extensive plan to deploy mist spray technology to combat air pollution in the capital, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Thursday.
Gupta inspected mist sprayers installed at ITO, saying work is underway to install 305 mist sprayers at nine pollution hotspots in the city.
Mist technology is being seen as an effective solution against pollution, Gupta asserted, adding that trials of mist sprayers in some New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) areas has shown positive results. 



Dec 04, 2025 15:14 IST
IndiGo's prolonged, unorthodox lean manpower strategy caused current disruption: Pilots' body FIP
Pilots' body Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) has alleged that IndiGo, despite getting a two-year preparatory window before the full implementation of new flight duty and rest period norms for cockpit crew, "inexplicably" adopted a "hiring freeze."
FIP said it has urged the safety regulator, DGCA, not to approve airlines' seasonal flight schedules unless they have adequate staff to operate their services "safely and reliably" under the New Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms. READ MORE



Dec 04, 2025 14:51 IST
Govt tells visiting dignitaries not to meet LoP: Rahul cries foul ahead of Putin's visit
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday alleged that the government tells visiting foreign dignitaries not to meet the Leader of the Opposition due to its "insecurity".
Gandhi's remarks came hours ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin's two-day visit to India.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said it is a tradition that visiting foreign dignitaries meet the LoP but Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Ministry of External Affairs were not following this norm. READ MORE



Dec 04, 2025 13:28 IST
TMC suspends MLA Humayun Kabir who proposed to build 'Babri Masjid' in Murshidabad
West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress on Thursday suspended its Bharatpur MLA Humayun Kabir, who had triggered a storm with the proposal to build 'Babri Masjid' in Murshidabad district.
Kabir, who has hogged the limelight over the last few years with his controversial statements on various matters, including the party's internal affairs, had announced that the foundation stone of the proposed mosque would be laid at Beldanga on December 6. READ MORE



Dec 04, 2025 12:43 IST
Land-for-job 'scam': Delhi court defers order on framing charges against Lalu Yadav, others
A Delhi court on Thursday deferred its order on framing of charges in the alleged land-for-job scam involving RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, his family members and others.
Special CBI Judge Vishal Gogne directed the CBI to file a status report after verifying the status of the accused persons in the case. Of the 103 accused persons in the case, four have died.
Judge Gogne posted the matter for further proceedings on December 8. READ MORE



Dec 04, 2025 12:27 IST
India rushes Bailey bridge, water units to Sri Lanka; shares digital disaster-response toolkit
India has sent a Bailey bridge and hundreds of water-purification units to cyclone-hit Sri Lanka as part of its ongoing humanitarian support to reconnect isolated communities and restore essential services in the island nation.
Sri Lanka has been grappling with widespread flooding, landslides and severe infrastructure collapse triggered by Cyclone Ditwah, leaving several districts isolated and severely straining the country's disaster-response capacity. READ MORE



Dec 04, 2025 11:16 IST
Hyderabad flyers hit as IndiGo disruption triggers mass cancellations, long delays
As many as 33 outbound Indigo flights are expected to be cancelled from here on Thursday, Rajiv Gandhi International Airport sources said.
Similarly, 35 incoming flights are also likely to be cancelled during the day, they said.
Indigo cancelled 19 flights from Hyderabad on Wednesday. READ MORE



Dec 04, 2025 11:15 IST
Delhi air quality improves slightly to ‘poor’ with AQI at 299
The air quality in the national capital improved slightly on Thursday morning, settling in the 'poor' category with an AQI reading of 299, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
On Wednesday morning, the AQI stood at 335 in the 'very poor' range.
There was a brief respite from the toxic air on Sunday (November 30) and Monday (December 1); however, the air quality slipped back to 'very poor' on Tuesday. READ MORE



Dec 04, 2025 11:14 IST
Delhi on high alert: SWAT teams, snipers deployed for Russian President Putin visit
The national capital is on high alert on Thursday, as a multi-layered security grid has been enforced for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is landing in Delhi in the evening for his two-day visit to India.
The exact location of his stay remains undisclosed due to strict security norms, police said.
Senior police officers said that from Putin's arrival to his departure, every movement will be tracked by multiple security units operating jointly. READ MORE



Dec 04, 2025 09:15 IST
SC to hear pleas challenging SIR in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and other states
New Delhi: The Supreme Court will hear today pleas challenging Election Commission decision to conduct SIR in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and other states.



Dec 04, 2025 06:58 IST
Law Commission to brief joint committee of Parliament on simultaneous polls today
New Delhi: The Constitution amendment bill that seeks to lay down a legal framework to hold simultaneous polls does not require ratification by at least 50 per cent of the state legislatures to come into force, the Law Commission has told a joint committee of Parliament examining the draft legislation.



Dec 04, 2025 06:57 IST
Land-for-job 'scam': Delhi court likely to pass order on framing charges against Lalu Yadav, family members
New Delhi: A Delhi court is likely to pronounce on Thursday its order on framing of charges in the alleged land-for-job scam involving RJD chief and former Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, his family members and others.