Tribune News Service,New Delhi, January 8

In a first, a military contingent of a foreign country will take part in the Republic Day Parade on January 26. A contingent of the French army, which is already in India for a joint military exercise, will take part in the parade along with Indian armed forces.In 2009, the Indian armed forces had achieved a similar landmark when a contingent led the massive Bastille Day military parade down Paris’s majestic Champs Elysee. Then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was the Chief Guest of Honour in that event. This year, French President Francois Hollande will be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations. This will be the fifth time that a French leader will be a chief guest at R-Day celebrations.

100 flights delayed

• Dense fog blanketed many areas in and around Delhi on Friday with poor visibility affecting over 100 flights and hitting rail traffic
• The Northern Railway said 24 trains were cancelled, 16 others were running late and 11 were rescheduled due to the fog which severely curtailed visibility