The US House of Representatives has passed a resolution honouring Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar for his “extraordinary courage” in thwarting an attempted terrorist attack aboard Flydubai Flight 1073 on September 30, 2026. The Dubai-Tel Aviv flight carried approximately 174 passengers, including 27 children and four US citizens. During the flight, the first officer attacked Machchhar with an emergency crash axe and attempted to seize the controls, causing the aircraft to lose more than 14,000 feet in under 30 seconds. Despite grave injuries, Machchhar fought back and unlocked the cockpit for off-duty pilots to enter. The aircraft landed safely at Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. The resolution commended the crew and passengers and called for a full investigation.

India has condemned an attack on the Panama-flagged vessel MT On Peace, which was hit by a projectile while passing through the Strait of Hormuz off Oman's coast. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said 12 crew members were injured, including 11 Indians, and that 17 of the 19 crew are Indian. The injured were evacuated with Omani help and are being treated in Khasab. India thanked Oman and called for an immediate end to attacks on shipping, saying such incidents are a deep concern. Separately, UKMTO reported that a tanker near Khasab turned back after Iran's IRGC threatened to target it. (PC: HT)

Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar, who helped foil an apparent attempt to crash a flydubai flight to Tel Aviv, suffered a depressed skull fracture when he was attacked in the cockpit with a crash axe, sources told NDTV. The 38-year-old opened the cockpit door despite heavy blood loss, letting crew and passengers overpower the Omani co-pilot. The plane, carrying over 170 people, landed in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, where doctors reconstructed his skull. He was later airlifted to a military hospital in Abu Dhabi and is reported to be responding well. His family has been allowed to meet him. (PC: NDTV)

A commercial vessel, MV ROYAD MAMMADOV, was attacked in the Black Sea, killing two foreign nationals and injuring crew members, according to the Embassy of India in Romania. Three Indian nationals were among the crew; all were confirmed safe, though one was injured and received medical treatment at Constanța County Hospital. Indian Ambassador Manoj Mohapatra spoke with the three Indians and the hospital’s chief physician, who confirmed they were in good health and receiving care. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said two Russian drones struck the Turkish-owned vessel carrying corn in neutral waters. He said the captain was killed and 11 crew members were rescued, including one injured. The attack heightened risks. (PC: X)

An Indian-born cheetah has given birth to five cubs at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said on Monday. The birth takes the total number of cheetahs in India to 60, marking an increase in the country’s cheetah population. The announcement highlights the continued presence and reproduction of cheetahs at Kuno National Park, where the latest litter contributes five new cubs to the national population. The development was shared by Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who confirmed the birth and the updated total number of big cats in the country. No further details about the mother, father, or cubs were provided in the supplied excerpt.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said the world is entering an “age of flux” marked by conflicts, tariff volatility and geopolitical uncertainty, describing the situation as “choppy waters” while expressing confidence that India will meet the challenges. Speaking at the Kautilya Economic Conclave in New Delhi, Jaishankar highlighted pressures involving energy, food and fertilisers, along with conflicts and other frictions. He said India’s experience, including during the Covid pandemic and conflicts, showed its ability to overcome challenges. Jaishankar discussed a global order moving towards multipolarity, UN gridlock, non-market practices, dialogue and diplomacy for resolving conflicts, and India’s role in articulating Global South concerns about maritime safety, food, fuel, fertiliser and finance.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India and the US have reached a “plateau” in trade deal talks. She said it would be “very very difficult” for either country to give or take more. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Sitharaman called the proposed agreement “hard and rigorously negotiated.” India and the US have been discussing a wider Bilateral Trade Agreement since February 2025. The two countries aim to increase bilateral trade to $500 billion by 2030. Talks continued through 2026, but no final deal has been reached. Tariffs, market access and the trade imbalance remain key issues.  

A Russian drone attack on a Turkish-owned cargo ship in the Black Sea killed its captain on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. The ship was carrying corn and had Indian and Azerbaijani citizens among its crew. Eleven crew members were rescued, with one injured. The fate of one person was still being checked. Zelensky condemned the attack and accused Russia of targeting civilian vessels. Separately, a Russian drone strike hit an Indian-owned pharmaceutical warehouse in Ukraine’s Sumy region on Sunday. A 52-year-old worker was killed and three others were injured. The Ukrainian embassy in Delhi also condemned the attack.  

Kolkata-born Sharmila Mona Sinha has been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls, New York, becoming only the second woman of Indian origin to receive the honour after Indra Nooyi. Sinha grew up as the third daughter in a family where sons were traditionally valued more. She later moved to the US at 18, studied at Smith College and earned an MBA from Columbia Business School. After working at Morgan Stanley and major companies, she shifted towards philanthropy and women’s rights. She has led Women Moving Millions and Raising Change and has served as CEO of Equality Now since 2022. (PC: The Times of India)

Israeli-American musician Itay Benda paid tribute to Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian Flydubai pilot who confronted his co-pilot during an alleged attempt to crash a Dubai-Tel Aviv flight. Benda specially learned Hindi and performed Shah Rukh Khan’s popular song “Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai” as his “small way of saying thank you” to the “brave” captain and Indians worldwide. Originally sung by Roop Kumar Rathore, the song features in Shah Rukh Khan’s 2008 film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. The video went viral across social media, drawing praise from viewers for Benda’s Hindi pronunciation and choice of song. On September 30, FZ1073 made an emergency landing in Tabuk after the co-pilot allegedly attacked Machchhar; all 174 people survived.