Explainer

Explainer

A plane, carrying passengers who were on the FlyDubai aircraft bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an emergency signal, arrives at the Ben Gurion international airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv. Photo: Reuters

What happened aboard the flydubai flight and what investigators are examining

During interrogation by UAE authorities, al-Hammami confessed that he intended to crash the aircraft into Ben Gurion Airport or a Tel Aviv skyscraper before Israeli fighter jets could intercept it

Clinical trials of the vaccine, called EpiVacCorona, could now be carried out with volunteers over the age of 60, a state register showed and the institute’s director said trials with children would begin in December, TASS reported Photo: Collected/File

Russia monitors suspected pneumonic plague case after lab worker dies

Traders work at their desks on the floor of the Borsa Istanbul in Istanbul, Turkey October 13, 2017. Photo: REUTERS/Murad Sezer/File Photo

How Turkey's investment fund bubble burst

A plane, carrying passengers who were on the FlyDubai aircraft bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates, which was diverted to Saudi Arabia following an emergency signal, on the tarmac as it arrives at the Ben Gurion International Airport, in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel, 30 September 2026. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

Who is the mystery co-pilot behind the flydubai attack?

A US military transport aircraft stands at Camp Victory near Baghdad International Airport in Baghdad, Iraq, September 29, 2026. US forces are set to withdraw from their last bases in Iraq by September 30, ending more than two decades of military presence in the country. Picture taken with a mobile phone. Photo: REUTERS/Stringer

How the US controls Iraq's oil revenues

Boeing 737 MAX. File Photo: Pixabay

How airlines and regulators are responding to Boeing 737 MAX software glitch

Representational image: Collected

What is the Harvest Moon and why does it occur?

The United Nations headquarters building is pictured with a UN logo in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, US, March 1, 2022. File Photo: REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

United Nations: History, structure and efforts to reform global body

A Taiwanese flag flutters near a Land-Based TC-2 surface-to-air missile launch vehicle during a short-range air defense drill as part of the annual Han Kuang military exercise, in Taoyuan, Taiwan, August 8, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Cheng-Chia Huang/File Photo

Why is Taiwan such an important issue for China?

An Israeli tank takes position near the ceasefire line between the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and Syria, on the Israeli side. Photo: Reuters

What is behind Israel's reported military shortages?

An aerial view of the Virgo Transport 8 passenger ship that capsized in Indonesia's Java sea, September 13, 2026, in this still image taken from video. Photo: BASARNAS/Handout via REUTERS

Ferry and passenger boat accidents in Southeast Asia

A satellite imagery shows Bab el Mandeb Strait, a key shipping waterway and the gateway to the Red Sea, in this handout picture dated 12 July, 2026.

What would a closure of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait mean for the global economy?

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi ahead of the 18th BRICS Summit. Photo: DW

What is at stake as BRICS leaders meet in New Delhi?