World

01

Oct

By The Press Editor

World

Earthquake of magnitude 5.3 strikes Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush region

Kabul: An earthquake of magnitude 5.3 struck Afghanistan early Thursday morning, according to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS). The tremor was recorded at 6:59:20 am IST, with the earthquake originating at a considerable depth of 126 kilometres in the Hindu Kush region of the country. The NCS reported the seismic activity in an update shared on X, providing the coordinates and depth of the earthquake. The quake was located at latitude 35.981 degrees North and longitude 68.700 degrees East. According to the NCS, the earthquake occurred deep beneath the surface, at a depth of 126 km. Its epicentre was…

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01

Oct

By The Press Editor

World

Netanyahu hails Indian pilot Smit Machchhar for averting mid-air catastrophe: ‘He is a true hero’

Tel Aviv: An Indian pilot has emerged at the centre of a dramatic mid-air incident after his actions helped prevent a possible disaster aboard a Flydubai flight travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Captain Smit Machchhar, who was stabbed by his co-pilot during the flight, managed to open the cockpit door despite suffering serious injuries. His action allowed passengers and crew members to enter the cockpit and overpower the attacker. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Machchhar, describing his actions as an extraordinary display of bravery. According to Netanyahu, the Indian captain's intervention helped save the lives of 174 people…

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01

Oct

By The Press Editor

World

Trump calls Trump pilot Smit Machchhar ‘hero’ for saving 174 people on flydubai plane, labels co-pilot ‘terrorist’

Washington: US President Donald Trump praised Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar as a 'hero' for saving 174 people aboard a flydubai plane after he was stabbed by his co-pilot, who allegedly attempted to crash the aircraft. Trump described the attacker as 'perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack job.' Trump speaks to Netanyahu  Addressing the media about the incident, Trump said that he spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the harrowing mid-air attack aboard the flydubai flight. "I spoke to Benjamin Netanyahu about this incident. It seems as though the co-pilot was perhaps a terrorist or perhaps a whack…

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30

Sep

By The Press Editor

World

Crash attempt, knife attack on pilot and a 17,000 feet drop: How chaos unfolded midair on flydubai flight

A routine flydubai flight from Dubai to Israel turned into a life-and-death situation for 180 passengers on board after the plane transmitted two different emergency codes, including one associated with a possible hijacking, before making an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia. The Boeing 737 MAX 8, operating as flydubai Flight FZ1073 from Dubai International Airport to Ben Gurion Airport, was carrying around 180 passengers, most of them Israeli nationals. The aircraft eventually landed safely at Tabuk airport in northwestern Saudi Arabia. Here's how the chaos unfolded Hijack alert triggers emergency According to publicly available flight-tracking data, the aircraft initially transmitted squawk…

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30

Sep

By The Press Editor

World

Israel PM Netanyahu says pilot wanted to crash flydubai plane, being interrogated in Saudi Arabia

Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia had arrested the pilot of a flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv after he allegedly stabbed the other pilot and apparently attempted to crash the aircraft. The flight was carrying mostly Israeli passengers. Netanyahu said the passengers intervened during the incident and prevented what he described as a "major disaster". Pilot allegedly stabbed co-pilot during flight According to Netanyahu, one of the pilots attacked the other with a knife as the aircraft approached Israel. He said the pilot then apparently tried to crash the plane with everyone…

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30

Sep

By The Press Editor

World

Indian captain on flydubai prevented 9/11-like terror attack, saved 180 lives: Report

Dubai: Flydubai Flight FZ1073, travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, was diverted to Tabuk in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday after a violent incident broke out inside the cockpit. An Indian national was the captain who fought with the co-pilot of a flydubai flight after the latter allegedly attempted to crash the aircraft, according to Israeli media reports. Ynet News reported that the captain helped prevent what Israeli authorities are investigating as an attempted terrorist attack aboard flydubai Flight FZ1073, which was travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv. Channel 12 also identified the captain as being of Indian origin. The flight,…

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30

Sep

By The Press Editor

World

Israel minister claims ‘terrorist pilot’ planned to crash flydubai flight to kill ‘180 Israelis’ on board

Tel Aviv: Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir alleged that the terrorist planned to crash the Tel Aviv bound flydubai passenger plane and murder the 180 Israelis on board. In a post on X, the Israel minister said, "Israel has done a wonderful job in the last two and a half years, but we must not stop and must continue until achieving total victory in Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, and Judea and Samaria."  "The naive notion that our enemies value life and that we should have mercy on them received another reminder this morning in the form of a terrorist…

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30

Sep

By The Press Editor

World

Israel-bound flight from Dubai triggers hijack alert: Fighter jets scrambled after contact lost, say reports

Tel Aviv: A flydubai passenger aircraft travelling from Dubai to Tel Aviv triggered an emergency alert while flying over Saudi Arabia, according to flight tracking data. The aircraft reportedly turned around after transmitting the international emergency "squawk code" 7700. The development triggered heightened security concerns, with Israeli Air Force fighter jets reportedly scrambled toward the aircraft, according to local media reports. Hebrew media reports also said that Israel's Prime Minister and Defence Minister were holding emergency consultations following the incident. Flydubai aircraft lands at Saudi airport The aircraft later landed at a Saudi airport, according to The Times of Israel. Hijacking…

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30

Sep

By The Press Editor

World

US to double EB-5 investor visa fees from November 30: How will it impact Indians seeking Green Cards?

New York: For Indians planning to secure a US Green Card through investment, a major change is set to make the process significantly more expensive. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has approved steep fee increases for several applications under the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program. The new fees will come into effect from November 30, 2026. The increase is expected to raise the overall immigration cost for Indian entrepreneurs and families seeking permanent residency in the United States through investment. EB-5 application fees set to more than double Under the EB-5 programme, the fee for Form I-526, filed by…

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30

Sep

By The Press Editor

World

Eiffel Tower chief to step down after uproar over removal women staff during BAPS visit

Paris: The operating company that runs the Eiffel Tower said that its chief would step down at the end of this year in the wake of a controversy over the removal of women staff during a visit by a Hindu religious group, Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), earlier this month. The company named Société d’Exploitation de la tour Eiffel (SETE),  in a statement, said Patrick Branco Ruivo, who has been director general of the Paris landmark since 2018, would leave his job at the end of the year after an internal probe revealed that "operational flaws and shortcomings" in…

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