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During his call with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Indian pilot Smit Machchhar shared how he saved 180 lives after his co-pilot stabbed him. Recalling the plane's 17,400-ft plunge, Smit said, "I had that one last fight left in me. Call it personal or...for people...I pushed against everything...that I had, and...opened [cockpit] door." Machchhar said cockpit door had a twist-to-open mechanism.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu invited hero Indian pilot Smit Machchhar and PM Narendra Modi to light a flame during Israel's Independence Day ceremony next year. This highest honour is traditionally reserved for Israeli citizens. Netanyahu called Captain Smit "hero of the entire world" for saving hundreds of lives after his co-pilot stabbed him to allegedly crash the Dubai-Tel Aviv plane.

West Indies recorded their highest-ever successful ODI run chase after chasing down 352-run target against India in the third ODI in New Chandigarh. The victory surpassed their previous record chase of 328 against Ireland in Dublin in 2019. West Indies avoided a series whitewash and registered their first ODI win on Indian soil after nearly seven years.

The MEA summoned the Chargé d'Affaires of the Pakistan High Commission to lodge a strong protest over continued illegal cross-border infiltration. This comes after the BSF neutralised two Pakistani intruders. India rejected Pakistan's baseless claims of killing civilians. "This incident highlights... a pattern of cross-border movement by armed narcotics syndicates operating from Pak," MEA said.

Government has kept small savings scheme interest rates unchanged for the October-December quarter, with the PPF offering 7.1% and the National Savings Certificate offering 7.7%. Senior Citizens' Savings Scheme and Sukanya Samriddhi Account will offer 8.2% each. Kisan Vikas Patra offers 7.5%, Monthly Income Scheme offers 7.4%, while the Post Office Savings Account carries an interest rate of 4%.

Employees starting their first job with basic wage of up to ₹25,000 may qualify for pension benefits under Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS). If required EPS contribution is missing, EPFO advised employees to first approach their employer/HR. If issue remains unresolved, they can file a grievance on the EPFiGMS portal using their UAN/PF number and upload supporting documents, if required.

138th-ranked India faced sixth-ranked Brazil for the first time in senior men's football history at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday. India lost the match 0-4 to the five-time FIFA World Cup champions. Estêvão Willian, Pedro and Samuel Lino scored for Brazil. The match featured several of Brazil's leading stars, including Vini Jr and Marquinhos.

Mutual funds allow investors to invest money in professionally managed funds with a low entry amount. PRIM, a new investment route introduced by SEBI, requires a minimum ₹ 25-lakh investment and allows professionals to select mutual funds, ETFs, index funds and SIFs. Meanwhile, PMS requires at least ₹50-lakh investment with managers directly buying stocks and other securities for investors.

FD laddering means splitting our savings across fixed deposits with different maturity periods. For instance, ₹5,00,000 can be divided among 1-year, 2-year and 3-year FDs. As each FD matures, the money becomes available without breaking other deposits. This can provide regular liquidity, allow reinvestment at prevailing rates and reduce the risk of locking all money into one interest-rate cycle.

Social media influencer and makeup artist Mad Sandhu, also known as Maddy Sandhu, was shot dead in Punjab's Amritsar on Saturday. The incident happened in the Pratap Nagar area. "Two unidentified men fired at him," said a police official. Reports said he breathed his last on his way to the hospital. An investigation has been launched.