Morning Digest: Pilot attacked during flydubai altercation Indian national; ECI meets for second time in 4 days, extends SIR dates for Andhra Pradesh and Meghalaya, and more - The HinduPublished - October 01, 2026 07:07 am ISTThe pilot who staved off the attempt to crash the aircraft has been identified as Smit Machchhar, an Indian national, and hailed a “hero” by Netanyahu and many others. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangementflydubai pilot 'a hero', plumber steadied plunging aircraft: TrumpU.S. President Donald Trump hailed the flydubai pilot as a "hero" for fighting off a knife attack from the co-pilot, opening the cockpit door and calling for help to foil a bid to crash the aircraft.ECI meets for second time in 4 days, extends SIR dates for Andhra Pradesh and MeghalayaA full bench of the Election Commission of India (ECI) convened on Wednesday (September 30, 2026), in what was the second such meeting in four days, and decided to extend the dates for the publication of final electoral rolls in Andhra Pradesh and Meghalaya, which are among the States where the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls is currently underway.‘Only 747 enrolment applications received from homeless voters’: NGO writes to Delhi CEO, flags ‘lapses’A non-profit organisation that facilitated a two-day citywide enrolment drive for homeless voters earlier this month wrote to the office of Delhi’s Chief Electoral Officer Ashok Kumar on Wednesday (September 30, 2026), stating that only 747 applications for re-inclusion into the rolls were received at the special camps.NCERT textbook revives debatable theory on Sengol handed to NehruThe Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s claim that Sengol, which is a sceptre anointed by Hindu religious leaders, marked the transfer of power in 1947 when India became independent, finds a mention in the National Council of Educational Research and Training’s (NCERT) newly released Class 9 social science textbook. Mamata backs Rahul as PM, Kharge seeks Opposition unityFormer West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee endorsed Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi as the face of the Opposition alliance, telling leaders at the INDIA bloc meeting on Wednesday (September 30, 2026) that she would have no objection if Mr. Gandhi were to become the Prime Minister.Medical students protest in Jammu and Kashmir after professor ‘objects to burqas in labour room’Scores of students at the Government Medical College (GMC), Doda, protested on Wednesday (September 30, 2026) after a professor denied burqa clad students’ entry to the labour room, forcing the hospital administration to set up a committee to look into the matter. Export duty on diesel, ATF slashed; petrol unchangedIn their latest fortnightly review, the government further reduced the export levy on diesel and aviation turbine fuel (ATF) whilst keeping the levy on petrol unchanged. Excise duty levied on the fuels domestically remains unchanged.U.K. PM says ‘strong indications’ Iran involved in airbase incidentBritish Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Wednesday (September 30, 2026) said there were “strong indications” that Iran was involved in suspicious activity at a U.K. airbase that triggered a major security incident this weekend.Google restricts access to new AI model over safety concernsGoogle on Wednesday (September 30, 2026) said it would withhold its most powerful artificial intelligence model from the public for now, releasing Gemini 4 Argon only to a vetted group of cybersecurity experts to avoid misuse by hackers.Gill breaks Kishan’s record for fastest ODI double hundredIndia skipper Shubman Gill etched his name in the record books on Wednesday (September 30, 2026), smashing the fastest double hundred in ODI cricket after reaching the milestone in just 117 balls.Published - October 01, 2026 07:07 am ISTSign in to unlock member-only benefits!Access 10 free stories every monthSave stories to read laterAccess to comment on every storySign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single clickGet notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products${ ind + 1 } ${ device }Last active - ${ la }