&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Latest News India and World LIVE Updates: Flydubai cockpit attack co-pilot identified; US ramps up West Asia military presence ahead of midterms")
The Omani co-pilot accused of attacking Indian pilot Captain Smit Machchhar inside the cockpit of a Flydubai flight bound for Tel Aviv has been identified as Hamam Al-Hammami, according to Al Arabiya, citing sources. The identification comes as investigators in the United Arab Emirates examine the circumstances surrounding the September 30 incident, in which the Dubai-Tel Aviv flight was forced to make an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after the co-pilot allegedly stabbed Machchhar and attempted to take control of the aircraft.
A British maritime security agency reported Friday that two oil tankers were hit by "unidentified projectiles" near the Strait of Hormuz, marking the latest threat to vessel safety in the vital shipping lane.
The United States is deploying a third aircraft carrier and an additional 9,000 to 10,000 troops in the Middle East as tensions remain between the US and Iran. This comes as the American military is ramping up its military presence in the region as US President Donald Trump weighs the possibility of renewed strikes on Iran after the midterm elections in November. Reportedly, USS Theodore Roosevelt and its strike group “quietly” left San Diego on Sunday (Sep 27) and are expected to reach the region by mid-November.
The price of Brent crude oil has emerged as a crucial economic metric ahead of the 2026 US midterm elections. The “war premium” linked to the US-Iran conflict is directly affecting fuel prices in America, putting rising costs at petrol pumps at the centre of the political debate
Stay with us for the latest news, breaking updates and developments as they unfold.
Two oil tankers have been struck by "unidentified projectiles" in the Strait of Hormuz region, a British maritime agency said Friday, in the latest threat to shipping in the waterway.
The Hormuz passage, through which a fifth of the world's oil and LNG passed before the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran in late February and sparked the Middle East war, remains at the heart of the conflict.
Tehran has been blocking the passage of commercial ships, firing on vessels it accuses of unauthorised crossings.
Washington responded with a counterblockade of Iranian ports in an effort to prevent Tehran from exporting its oil.
In a bid to ease supply pressures that have caused crude oil prices to soar, G7 countries have agreed to release 100 million barrels of oil and diesel from emergency reserves . The group, including the US, said the move would include a "substantial release" of diesel in the coming days. They also said to refrain from energy export restrictions.
The decision came after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose US ban on diesel exports if the the European Union did not draw down emergency diesel inventories. A ban by US could have sharply reduced supplies to Europe, which has become increasingly reliant on US diesel.
The G7 in a statement released after the decision said member countries had now agreed to "refrain from export restrictions on energy and energy products" on one another.
