Top news of the day: UAE says flydubai co-pilot attempted ‘terrorist’ attack; Indian men retain gold in cricket, hockey in Asian Games, and more

Stellar Abhishek, Super Tilak power India to gold despite Nawaz heroics for PakistanAbhishek Sharma was the familiar nemesis upfront while Tilak Varma became a tormentor towards the end as India lived up to its top billing by defending the Asian Games gold medal with a 19-run win over bitter foes Pakistan in the final on Saturday (October 3, 2026).Flydubai co-pilot attacked pilot with axe, attempted ‘terrorist’ attack, says UAEThe co-pilot of flydubai flight FZ1073 attempted to carry out a “terrorist” attack during the flight, the United ​Arab Emirates prosecutor general said on Saturday (October 3, 2026), according to the state news ‌agency WAM.Trinamool Congress loses chairpersonship of two key Parliamentary panelsThe Trinamool Congress has lost the chairpersonship of two key Parliamentary panels as Rajya Sabha Chairman C.P. Radhakrishnan and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday (October 3, 2026) reconstituted various department-related Parliamentary standing committees. While BJP’s Sudhanshu Trivedi has been appointed the new chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Commerce, replacing TMC’s Dola Sen, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, leader of TMC’s rebel faction, has replaced her former party colleague Kirti Azad as the chairperson of the panel on chemicals and fertilisers.Asian Games 2026: India beats Malaysia to defend men’s hockey gold, qualify for Los Angeles OlympicsReigning Olympic bronze medallist India hammered Malaysia 5-1 to defend their men’s hockey gold in the Asian Games in Kakamigahara on Saturday (October 3, 2026), and the triumph also secured them a direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. While writing a new chapter in the history of Indian hockey, the eight-time Olympic champions also clinched their fifth Asian Games gold, and the second in a row for the first time.Red tape leaves UGC’s social inclusion scheme in limbo, leads to salary crisisSeven months into the current financial year, 24 central universities still await the renewal of the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) flagship scheme for teaching and conducting research on marginalised communities.Congress president Kharge calls all elections illegal; demands dissolution of Lok Sabha, State AssembliesCongress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday (October 3, 2026) demanded the dissolution of the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, saying all elections were illegal, and that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and the Chief Ministers of all States were illegal. He said fresh polls should be conducted using ballot papers.After full implementation of BNS, cases from FIR to Supreme Court will be disposed of in 3 years: ShahUnion Minister Amit Shah on Saturday (October 3, 2026) said that after the full implementation of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), cases from the FIR stage to the Supreme Court will be disposed of within three years. He was addressing the State-level conference of cattle rearers in Bhopal after inaugurating an exhibition on the new criminal law.3,832 children diagnosed with leprosy as India targets interruption of transmission by 2027India recorded 3,832 new leprosy cases among children in 2025-26, including 37 who had Grade-2 disability (G2D) at diagnosis — an indicator of delayed detection. The child caseload was 91.6% higher than the National Leprosy Eradication Programme’s (NLEP) target of 2,000 cases for the year.Asian Games 2026: Wrestler Aman Sehrawat adds gold to collectionAman Sehrawat finally changed the colour of his Asian Games medal, clinching the men’s 57kg gold after edging out North Korea’s world champion Chong Song Han 11-7 in a fierce final in Nagoya on Saturday (October 3, 2026).Asian Games 2026: Kumkum Mohod, a revelation for Indian contingent in NagoyaKumkum Mohod speaks little, smiles a lot more. When she does talk, though, the clarity of thoughts and the simplicity of her process are disarming. The smile is replaced by a single-minded focus in competition.Neeru Dhanda to be flag bearer at Asian Games closingAce Indian trap shooter Neeru Dhanda will be the women’s flag bearer at the closing ceremony of the Asian Games on Sunday (October 4, 2026) after capping a remarkable campaign with two gold medals and a team silver to emerge as one of the most successful athletes at the continental showpiece.Nestle India’s ‘low-fat dairy whitener’ found ‘unsafe, substandard’ at Hotel Lalit: FSSAIA sample of “low-fat dairy whitener” manufactured by Nestle India, drawn from the premises of Hotel Lalit in Connaught Place in the national capital, has been found “unsafe and substandard,” the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) said on Saturday (October 3, 2026). In a post on social media, the food regulator said the sample was collected from the premises of Bharat Hotels Ltd (The Lalit), Connaught Place, New Delhi.AAP’s Priyanka Kakkar joins Congress, says she ‘could no longer defend the indefensible’Former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar joined the Congress on Saturday (October 3, 2026), saying she could no longer “defend the indefensible” and praising Rahul Gandhi’s “authentic” leadership. Ms. Kakkar joined the party along with former Uttar Pradesh MLA Shyam Sunder Sharma and former journalist Rajat Rakesh Tandon.