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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday invited Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who helped save a Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight after being attacked in the cockpit, to visit Israel as a guest of honour. "You are a true hero of the brave peoples of India and Israel, and you are a hero of the entire world," Netanyahu told Machchhar during a phone call, excerpts of which were released by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office. "I invite you to light a torch at Israel’s Independence Day ceremony," the Israeli Prime Minister said. In an interview with CNN on Wednesday evening, Netanyahu…

Dubai's Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum met flydubai pilot Captain Smit Machchhar on Saturday, whose heroics averted a major tragedy and helped save 174 lives after his Omani co-pilot attempted to crash the aircraft this week. Maktoum, who is also the deputy prime minister and the defence minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), shared photos of his meeting with 39-year-old Machchhar on microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter) and said the entire country's leadership is full of his 'appreciation and praise'. "During a visit to Captain Smit Machchhar... the flydubai pilot who embodied the highest…

The Omani flydubai co-pilot, in custody and under interrogation following the attempted 'terror attack' in Israel, is now facing growing scrutiny over his social media activity following the September 30 incident in which he allegedly stabbed his colleague, Indian Captain Smit Machchhar, and attempted to crash the plane carrying 174 passengers. The pilot, identified as 29-year-old Omani national Hamam al-Hammami, reportedly had a history of controversial, misogynistic views and was even fired by Oman’s national airline last year amid concerns over his alleged extremist views, CNN reported. The accused has already been flagged by Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu as someone who underwent…

A Hindu temple was vandalised in Ohio, the United States (US), leaving the building damaged, said several Hindu advocacy groups on Saturday. The Swaminarayan Hindu Temple Vadthaldham was located in the greater Cleveland locality of Ohio. According to the groups, the incident happened on Friday afternoon when several people, including priests and devotees, were inside the temple. The windows of the temple were shattered and bricks were thrown at the temple; however, no one was injured in the incident. "This is real now. Online hate has morphed into a real-world attack on a Hindu temple. Review the video & catch…