A Bengaluru resident said his grandmother was stuck at Doha’s Hamad International Airport for 27 hours after flight cancellations caused by the Ethiopia volcano eruption. The woman, in her 70s, was flying from Doha to Kolkata with a transit in Delhi. Her visa had expired, so she could not leave the airport. Air India cancelled several flights due to ash clouds drifting toward India. The airline said passengers were given hotels or lounge access, but the family said she received neither, as lounges were full. She waited on public seats with her relative. A new flight was finally confirmed early Wednesday. (PC: HT)

French police have arrested a fourth suspect in the jewel heist at the Louvre Museum in Paris. The robbery took place on October 19 and lasted only minutes. Officials said four people were detained on November 25 as part of the ongoing investigation. The group includes two men, aged 38 and 39, and two women, aged 31 and 40, all from the Paris region. They are now being questioned by investigators from the Paris Specialized Interregional Jurisdiction. Police are working to confirm each person’s role in the planned theft and to trace the stolen items. (PC: X)

China has denied that an Indian woman from Arunachal Pradesh was harassed during a layover at Shanghai airport. UK-based Indian citizen Pema Wangjom Thongdok said her passport was called “invalid” because it listed Arunachal Pradesh as her birthplace, turning a three-hour transit into an 18-hour ordeal. China said she was not detained and that officials acted as per rules. India strongly protested the incident, calling the reason “ludicrous” and stressing that Arunachal Pradesh is an integral part of India. New Delhi also said China’s actions violated global aviation norms. Indian officials and the Shanghai Consulate helped her leave the airport. (PC: India Today)

Dubai-based drug trafficker Pawan Thakur, mastermind behind India's biggest cocaine seizure worth Rs 2,500 crore, has been arrested and faces deportation. Thakur orchestrated the smuggling of 82 kilograms of high-grade cocaine intercepted in Delhi in November 2024, routed through an Indian port before warehouse storage. He's also linked to Rs 282 crore meth seizure this week. Starting as a hawala agent in Delhi's Kucha Mahajani market, Thakur expanded into large-scale narcotics trafficking, laundering over Rs 681 crore through fake import-export documentation, cryptocurrency, and shell companies across India, China, Singapore, Hong Kong, and UAE. The Narcotics Control Bureau issued an international Silver Notice in September. After five associates' arrests, Thakur fled to Dubai, acquiring luxury properties including a Dubai Hills villa. (PC: NDTV) 

Ethiopia's Hayli Gubbi volcano, dormant for nearly 10,000 years, erupted Sunday, sending ash clouds toward India at 130 kmph. The plume entered through western Rajasthan Monday night, reaching Delhi by 11 pm before drifting toward China. India Meteorological Department predicted clearance by Tuesday evening at 7:30 pm. The ash, positioned between 25,000-45,000 feet, prompted DGCA to issue urgent advisories mandating strict avoidance of affected airspace. Multiple flight cancellations followed: IndiGo's Kochi-Dubai, Akasa Air's Kochi-Jeddah, and KLM's Amsterdam-Delhi services were suspended. Airlines including Air India, SpiceJet, and Akasa closely monitored conditions. While experts noted minimal ground-level health risks, unusual sunrise colors were expected Tuesday, with light ash precipitation possible across northern India.

Over 53,000 Canadian Sikhs participated in an unofficial "Khalistan Referendum" in Ottawa on Sunday, organized by India-banned group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). Outside McNabb Community Centre, participants desecrated the Indian national flag and chanted violent slogans targeting Indian leaders while police liaison officers watched without intervention. Queues stretched nearly two kilometers, with voting extending beyond scheduled hours. SFJ's general counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, designated a terrorist by India, addressed participants via satellite. Videos showed supporters carrying yellow Khalistan flags and raising aggressive anti-India chants. The event coincided with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney meeting PM Narendra Modi at the G20 Summit in South Africa, timing SFJ called "suspicious" amid recent India-Canada diplomatic efforts to ease bilateral tensions.

Twenty-four-year-old Nicholas Singh, an Indian-origin criminal ranked 15th on Canada's most-wanted list, was arrested in Toronto after 18 months on the run. Singh went unlawfully at large on May 31, 2024, while serving a five-year, five-month sentence for robbery and firearm-related offences. Toronto Police's Repeat Offender Parole Enforcement squad arrested him near Bathurst and Dundas streets on Friday night after receiving a tip about a suspicious vehicle. Officers discovered a firearm, extended magazine, and ammunition despite a court-ordered weapons ban. Singh now faces fresh charges including possessing restricted firearms without a license. Two other Indian-origin fugitives Gurkirat Singh and Dharam Singh Dhaliwal remain on Canada's BOLO programme's top 25 most-wanted list.

Twenty-six-year-old Nick Franke from London has cycled over 11,500km across 22 countries in six months, raising funds for Future Hope, a Calcutta school for street children. On Thursday, students gave him a hero's welcome with hand-drawn flags representing every nation he crossed. Franke, nephew of school founder Tim Grandage, visited Future Hope in 2004 and now combines his cycling passion with philanthropy. His journey began in May from the UK, traversing Europe, Turkey, Central Asia, Nepal, and India, covering 100-120km daily. After departing Calcutta on November 27, he'll continue through Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, and the US, aiming to reach London by May 2026 for his best friend's wedding. (PC: Instagram) 

Indian-origin steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal has relocated from the UK to Switzerland and Dubai ahead of anticipated tax reforms by the Labour government. The 75-year-old ArcelorMittal founder, worth £15.4 billion and ranked Britain's eighth richest person, now owns property in Dubai, including developments on Naïa Island. The primary concern was inheritance tax rather than income or capital gains tax. While the UK levies inheritance tax up to 40 percent on worldwide assets, Dubai and Switzerland impose no inheritance tax. Mittal's departure follows similar moves by other wealthy entrepreneurs including Herman Narula and Nik Storonsky as Chancellor Rachel Reeves prepares a budget addressing a £20 billion fiscal deficit. (PC: The Hindu) 

Arunachal Pradesh resident Pem Wang Thongdok accused Chinese authorities of detaining her for over 18 hours at Shanghai airport on November 21, 2025, during a London-to-Japan transit. Immigration officials declared her Indian passport invalid, claiming Arunachal Pradesh is Chinese territory and refusing to recognize her Indian citizenship. Her passport was confiscated despite holding a valid Japanese visa, preventing her from boarding her onward flight. Officials mocked her and suggested applying for a Chinese passport while denying food, facilities, and updates. She was told she'd receive her passport only after purchasing a China Eastern Airlines ticket. After contacting the Indian consulate through a UK friend, she was eventually released and continued her journey.