Global News Digest: Top 20 Stories from December 3, 2025 Today's news landscape presents a compelling mix of geopolitical developments, market movements, and critical domestic issues reshaping India and the world. From Vladimir Putin's strategic visit to New Delhi marking a quarter-century of India-Russia partnership, to the cryptocurrency market rebounding with Bitcoin crossing the $93,000 mark, to the dramatic Haldwani land encroachment case affecting 50,000 residents, the day's stories reflect both opportunities and challenges facing nations on the global stage. South Asia remains in crisis with Southeast Asian nations grappling with catastrophic floods and landslides claiming nearly 1,500 lives, while India's domestic agenda focuses on electoral reforms, defense readiness, and technological advancement. This digest curates the most significant developments across 14 news categories, offering readers essential context on events that will shape policy, markets, and communities in the coming weeks. Headline -1 (International): Putin Begins Historic India Visit Amid Deepening Russia-India Strategic Alliance Summary: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi on December 3, 2025, for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit, marking his first visit to India in four years and coinciding with the 25th anniversary of their strategic partnership. The two-day state visit will feature bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, expected to focus on defense cooperation, energy trade, and geopolitical coordination amid U.S. sanctions pressure on Russia. Putin visit to India: Can India keep on good terms with cnn More Details: Putin's delegation includes high-ranking officials such as Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, alongside chief executives of major Russian state enterprises including Sberbank, Rosoboronexport (state arms exporter), Rosneft, and GazpromNeft. The timing of the visit signals India's willingness to maintain strong ties with Russia despite Western pressure. Key discussion topics include the supply of Russian oil amid tightening Western sanctions, new fighter jet technologies, hypersonic missile systems, additional S-400 air defense units, and civilian nuclear energy cooperation. India is also expected to advocate for restoration of a 20% ONGC stake in the Sakhalin-1 project in eastern Russia. Bilateral trade reached a record $63.6 billion in 2024-25, with both nations targeting $100 billion by 2030. President Droupadi Murmu will receive Putin and host a state banquet, reinforcing the ceremonial significance of the visit. Source Link: https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/world-exclusive-russian-president-putin-speaks-to-india-today-ahead-of-india-visit-2830342 Headline -2 (National): Supreme Court Defers Haldwani Verdict to December 10 as 50,000 Residents Await Fate Summary: The Supreme Court of India deferred its decision on the highly contentious Haldwani land encroachment case to December 10, 2025, leaving over 50,000 residents in limbo. The case centers on railway land in Uttarakhand where three localities (Gafoor Basti, Dholak Basti, and Indira Nagar) face potential eviction following a High Court order to remove encroachments identified in a 2016-17 survey. India top court stays demolition of over 4,000 homes in aljazeera More Details: The Haldwani area was placed on high alert on December 2-3 with extensive police deployment: 23 people in preventive detention, 123 bound over, 3 superintendents of police, 4 assistant commissioners, 8 inspectors, 8 station house officers, 400 police personnel, two companies of Paramilitary Armed Constabulary (PAC), ITBP and CRPF units stationed, and anti-riot squads on standby. The land dispute involves 4,365 identified encroachments according to a joint railway-district administration survey. While residents claim multi-generational habitation on "nazool" (revenue) land and cite documentation including tax records and utility connections, the Railways maintain that 1959 notifications and 1971 revenue records establish their ownership. The area encompasses 2.2 km of land with 3 government schools, 11 private schools, 10 mosques, 12 madrassas, and vital public health facilities. In July 2024, the Supreme Court ordered the Uttarakhand government to submit a rehabilitation plan, which officials claim has not been completed despite the order. The court's previous stay orders in 2017, 2022, and 2023 emphasized the infeasibility of evicting 50,000 people overnight without rehabilitation. Source Link: https://indianexpress.com/article/india/haldwani-high-alert-supreme-court-order-50000-residents-10398448/ Headline -3 (Technology/National): India AI Mission Pushes for Indigenous AI Infrastructure to Reach Last Mile Citizens Summary: Abhishek Singh, Additional Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and CEO of India AI Mission, announced that India is urgently integrating artificial intelligence into its core digital