www.INDIANEXPRESS.COM Artist, Uninterrupted, Unbroken & Present US-based Marina Abramović, a pioneer in performance art, on using the body to confront vulnerability, and how art can be spiritual new delhI, decemBer 7, 2025 LATE CITy 18+4 PAGES ₹7.00 screen Shefali Shah and Huma Qureshi on the latest instalment of popular Netflix series Delhi Crime (₹8 RAIPUR, ₹15 SRINAGAR) D A I L y F R O M : A H M E D A b A D , C H A N D I G A R H , D E L H I , j A I P U R , K O L K A T A , L U C K N O w , M U M b A I , N A G P U R , P A T N A , P U N E , v A D O D A R A Fare caPs to Protect Passengers From oPPortunistic Pricing: ministry Govt caps airfares, IndiGo CEO told to explain in 24 hrs New Delhi, December 6 As RussiAn President Vladimir Putin concluded his twoday visit to india December 5, new Delhi was preparing the next steps in a careful diplomatic balancing act: moves are afoot to schedule a possible visit by ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to india in the coming months, The Indian Express has learnt. The visit could take place as early as January 2026. A Zelenskyy visit would reinforce Delhi’s effort to stay engaged with both sides of the Russia–ukraine war, following sukalp sharma New Delhi, December 6 »continueD on Page 2 More reports p 9, 13 at Terminal 1 of delhi’s IGI airport on saturday. AMIT MEHRA l maximumdomesticfare rs 7,500 500km FOR ROUTES UP TO (E.G. DELHI TO CHANDIGARH) rs 15,000 FOR 1,000-1,500km (E.G. DELHI TO MUMbAI) lLimits exclude airport levies and taxes; do not apply to business class or flights under the UDAN scheme E. rs 12,000 govt firefights indigo-induced pain (E.G. DELHI TO PATNA) Poor planningby the country’s largestairline has resulted in an unprecedented crisis. Warning signals were visible through November, but before the government acted, it descendedupon passengerswithflight cancellations and skyrocketingfares. FOR 500-1,000km rs 18,000 1,500 km FOR ROUTES AbOvE (E.G. DELHI TO CHENNAI) lFare caps apply to all bookings, whether made directly with airlines or through online travel agents l inaugural ceremony of a key UNESCO meeting — during which Diwali is set to be proposed for inclusion in its Intangible Cultural Heritage List — will be held at Red Fort. The main session will run from December 8 to December 13. lHong Kong votes to elect new lawmakers, in a test of legitimacy for the government as it tries to soothe public anger over the recent high-rise fire that killed at least 159 people. Track These and more on www.indianexpress.com politics Out of Jail After 5 Years Former delhi University associate professor hany Babu, who was granted bail in the elgaar Parishad case Thursday, with his wife, Prof Jenny rowena, and their daughter Farzana after his release from Taloja Jail in navi mumbai on saturday. NARENDRA vASKAR Eye on pledge of 1 crore jobs, Nitish Govt creates three key departments santosh singh Patna, December 6 BMC polls: four wards see over 50% inCrease in voter nuMBers overall increase of 12.67% in the electorate since 2017 — when the last civic elections were held. page 8 KeePing iTs focus on key issues like employment and infrastructure, which dominated therecentBiharAssemblyelections, the re-elected nDA government led by Chief Minister nitish Kumar has announced three new departments, including the Department of Youth, employment and skill Development that will be en- trusted with creating one crore jobs over the next five years in the state. Theothernewdepartments are Higher education and Civil Aviation, taking the total number of departments in the Bihar government to 40. With the size of the Cabinet restricted to 15% of the Assembly’s strength of 243 members, Bihar can have a maximum of 36 ministers including the CM. »continueD on Page 2 inside worlD russia targets ukraine infra, energy sites p 12 nation new nCert Book for Class 7 has Bigger seCtion on ghazni p 5 l 21-year-old GoalIe Powers IndIa’s wIn In qUarTer-FInal aGaInsT BelGIUm aT FIh JUnIor world cUP No. 16 on his jersey, idol Sreejesh as his coach, Hockey India’s Prince in waiting page 1 anchor vinayakk mohanarangan Chennai, December 6 PRinCeDeeP singH grew up wanting to be like P R sreejesh. somuchsothattherookiegoalkeeper even got the legendary indian custodian’s jersey number — 16 — on his back. And now, in the team coached bysreejesh,Princedeephasemerged as a standout performer. On Friday, the 21-year-old Princedeep singh (left) thwarted Belgium twice in the shootout on Friday; working with coach P r sreejesh (above) is a dream, the 21-year-old says. HOCKEy INDIA PM’s ‘not-neutral’ remark Friday echoes what he told Zelenskyy last year Pm modi with President Zelenskyy in kyiv in august 2024. AP FILE the same calibrated approach adopted last year. in July 2024, Prime Minister narendra Modi travelled to Moscow and met Putin; a month later,inAugust, he had visited ukraine. sourcessaiddiscussionsbetweenindianandukrainianofficials have been ongoing for several weeks, with new Delhi intouchwithZelenskyy’soffice even before Putin arrived in india. The timing and scope of the proposed visit will depend on multiplefactors,includinghow former us President Donald Trump’s peace plan unfolds and developments on the »continueD on Page 2 explained Happening today ltHe iaF will present a grand ‘Surya Kiran Air Show' in Rajkot, Gujarat, to encourage the youth to join the service. Diplomatic tightrope: Red carpet for Putin, now Delhi works on dates for Zelenskyy visit shubhajit roy Operational failures indicate planning lapses: Show-cause notice to CEO WiTHAiRFAResskyrocketing due to large-scale cancellation of flights by domestic aviation market leader indigo, the government on saturday stepped in to regulate fares for all airlines by prescribing caps. As widespread disruptions in operationsenteredthefourthday, the government also issued a show-cause notice to indigo CeOPieterelbersaskinghimto respond within 24 hours why no action should be taken against him. elbers has been the CeO of indigo since september 2022. The Ministry of Civil Aviation(MoCA)saturdayinvoked will Be First visit By uKrainian PresiDent since 2012 goalkeeper shot into the limelight with a sensational display inthepenaltyshootoutasindia defeated Belgium in the thrilling quarter-final of the FiH Junior World Cup in Chennai. The number 16, made famous by sreejesh, has a special place for Princedeep. “i started playing hockey around 2015 at Cheema Academy in Batala and i actually played fullback for a year... i used to also play football during the weekends, and i was good at goalkeeping because of my height, which is »continueD on Page 2 India’s freedom of choice, US negotiators in Delhi Putin’s visit won’t affect next week, trade talks US ties, says Jaishankar may get fresh impetus Divya a New Delhi, December 6 unDeRLining inDiA’s “freedom of choice” in its relationships, external Affairs Minister s Jaishankar on saturday said RussianPresidentVladimirPutin’s two-day visit won’t complicate india’s ties with the united states. Defining india's ties with Russia as “among the steadiest big relationships” in the world, he said Putin's visit was about “re-imagining” the ties with a focus on economic engagement. emphasising “strategic autonomy”,Jaishankar,duringan interactive session at the HT Leadership summit in new »continueD on Page 2 ravi Dutta mishra New Delhi, December 6 A us trade team led by Deputy us Trade Representative Rick switzer is set to visit india next week to iron out differences such that the long-pending bilateral trade agreement (BTA) is signed before Decemberend, a source aware of the de- velopments said. switzerandBrendanLynch, the us chief negotiator for the trade deal with india, are expected to meet Commerce secretary Rajesh Agrawal for the final talks ahead of the agreement.negotiationswiththeus had commenced after Prime MinisternarendraModivisited »continueD on Page 2