The Mizoram government awarded Rs 40 lakh each to hockey players Lalremsiami and Lalthantluangi after India’s women’s team won Asian Games gold on October 2. The players received a hero’s welcome in Aizawl and were felicitated by Chief Minister Lalduhoma, who said each would get Rs 25 lakh under the State Incentive Cash Award scheme and Rs 15 lakh through the Bana Kaih scheme. He said they were the first athletes from Mizoram to win Asian Games medals, with the state’s medal journey beginning with gold. Lalduhoma announced plans to name a hockey ground after Lalremsiami. Hockey infrastructure is expanding, including a Rs 6-crore turf and a 30-bed hostel at Thenzawl.

Israeli authorities were prepared to shoot down a flydubai jet after it sent a hijack signal during an alleged attempt by co-pilot Hamam al-Hammami to seize and crash the Israel-bound aircraft, CBS News reported. The plane, carrying more than 170 people, most Israelis, plunged nearly 18,000 feet before fighter jets scrambled and airspace was closed. Israel reportedly activated a hijacking protocol, including cockpit and cabin checks if communication failed. Sources said a rogue flight approaching Israel could be shot down, but only the prime minister could authorize the decision. Before that happened, the aircraft turned toward Saudi Arabia, while Captain Smit Machchhar and passengers overpowered the attacker. It landed in Tabuk. (PC: X)

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)

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey have moved to activate the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement, announcing immediate steps to prepare and deploy military forces and defence assets to Saudi Arabia amid escalating Houthi attacks. The decision followed emergency talks in Riyadh involving political and military officials from all three countries. The pact, signed on August 7, is partly modelled on NATO’s Article 5, treating an armed attack against one member as an attack against all three. A joint statement said the Strategic-Political and Defence Committee would move immediately to practical implementation of mutual defence commitments. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan are expected to coordinate military personnel and defence systems as regional tensions intensify.

A lawyer representing protesting nurses in Tamil Nadu alleged on Monday that five leaders were arrested after being invited to the Tamil Nadu Secretariat for talks. Police detained nurses who were on hunger strike in Chennai after they refused to disperse beyond the allotted time. Nurses from across Tamil Nadu had gathered near Rajaratnam Stadium for a protest organised by the Tamil Nadu Intermediate Health Workers’ Association. The nurses are demanding a monthly salary of Rs 45,000, equal pay for equal work, permanent employment, job security and payment of pending incentives. The allegations of arrests and detention came amid the nurses’ protest and their demands for pay, conditions and job security.

Yemen’s Houthis on Monday warned international airlines against operating in Saudi airspace, saying the kingdom’s skies could become a “theater of operations” amid escalating military confrontation. The Houthi-run Humanitarian Operations Coordination Center claimed Saudi military aircraft were attacking Houthi-held areas and said Saudi airspace should be considered unsafe for civilian aviation. The statement did not specify when or where potential operations could occur or identify affected airports or air corridors. Saudi authorities did not immediately respond. The warning came as fighting intensified, with a Saudi-led coalition launching large-scale air operations and Yemeni government forces announcing a “strategic offensive” on Houthi-held Sanaa. The coalition said 100 fighter jets participated in Operation Dawn of Yemen. (PC: X)

Russia is facing fears of a possible plague outbreak after a laboratory worker died following an illness described by officials as “pneumonia of unknown aetiology.” Darya Shipilova, 28, worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Institute and became unwell during a field expedition in Buryatia, near Mongolia. She was hospitalised on September 29, placed on a ventilator and died two days later in Shelekhov. Several hospitals in Irkutsk reportedly restricted movement of staff and patients, while more than 60 of Shipilova’s colleagues remained inside the research institute. Russian authorities said there was no confirmed plague case and the situation was stable. Neighbouring countries were enhancing health checks, while the United States monitored developments. (PC: AP)

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.

A Russian drone strike caused a fire on a Turkish-owned civilian cargo vessel carrying Indian and Azerbaijani nationals in the Black Sea, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Zelensky said two Russian drones struck the vessel, which was carrying corn and operating in neutral waters. The ship’s captain was killed, while 11 crew members were rescued, one of them injured. Zelensky said the fate of another person was still being established. He called for pressure to restore global food security and said Ukraine had repeatedly proposed measures to de-escalate tensions and improve Black Sea security. The attack comes amid escalating strikes on commercial shipping and port infrastructure during the Russia-Ukraine conflict. India has recently increased efforts to engage both Kyiv and Moscow.

The US is closely monitoring the situation in Russia after a laboratory worker died from pneumonia of unknown origin. The 28-year-old researcher worked at the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute. There are concerns she may have been exposed to pneumonic plague. Russian authorities said they found no evidence that her illness was caused by pathogens she worked with. Nearly 200 people who had contact with her are being monitored. A medical facility where she was treated has been placed under quarantine. Her exact cause of death has not been confirmed. Health experts said pneumonic plague can spread through respiratory particles but is treatable.