Stories
Global Weekly Wrap: Flight Attack, French Protests and Spanish Housing Crisis
- •A flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv suffered a mid-air emergency after the co-pilot attacked Indian Captain Smit Machchhar with an axe, though the plot to crash the plane was foiled.
- •Captain Smit Machchhar is recovering in Abu Dhabi after surgery for severe injuries sustained while defending the cockpit from his Omani co-pilot Hamam Al Hammami.
- •Violent student protests erupted across France, drawing over 250,000 demonstrators to the streets over mounting grievances against the government.
- •Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for snap elections following nationwide protests sparked by the tragic eviction of an 87-year-old woman amidst a severe housing crisis.
- •Fears of a plague outbreak circulated online after a technician at a Russian research laboratory died of pneumonia, though health authorities dismissed epidemic risks.
Key Questions Answered
The protests began at a Paris-region high school in mid-September over deteriorating everyday school conditions, including crumbling buildings, overcrowding, severe teacher shortages, and a controversial belt-tightening budget. What started as localized walkouts and blockades grew into a nationwide movement involving over 250,000 people, with clashes between protesters and police.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called for early November elections after his government failed to secure parliamentary backing for two proposed housing laws. This political crisis was triggered by widespread nationwide protests over a housing emergency, which intensified following the eviction of an 87-year-old Madrid resident, Maricarmen Abascal.
Flight FZ1073 from Dubai to Tel Aviv was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after its Omani co-pilot, Hamam Al Hammami, launched a violent cockpit attack on Indian Captain Smit Machchhar using a crash axe. The co-pilot intended to sabotage the aircraft and crash it, but his plans were thwarted by the captain and passengers.
