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The Maldives military still does not have pilots capable of operating three aircraft donated by India, Defence Minister Ghassan Maumoon has acknowledged, days after 76 Indian defence personnel left the island nation at the instance of Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu. India withdraws 76 troops. Ghassan Maumoon made the remarks at a press conference held at the President's Office here on Saturday to brief the media about the withdrawal of Indian soldiers stationed in the Maldives to operate two helicopters and a Dornier aircraft and their replacement with civilians from India. Responding to a question from a journalist, Ghassan Maumoon said there were no Maldivian soldiers with the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) who can operate the three aircraft donated by the Indian military despite some soldiers who began training to fly them under agreements formed by previous governments. "As it was a training that required passing various stages, our soldiers had not reached comp...

A woman whose son is being held hostage by Hamas in Gaza shared a heartbreaking message for him on Mother’s Day. 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s mom, Rachel Goldberg-Polin, posted a video where she is seen reading a letter she had written on the eve of her son’s third birthday. Hersh Goldberg-Polin’s mom “Because today is Mother’s Day, I decided to read you this letter that I wrote to Hersh the night before he turned 3 years old,” she said before reading the note. She was seen wearing a tape numbered 219 on her shirt – the number of days Hersh, an Israeli-American man, has been held hostage after being abducted from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023. “Hersh, these last three years have been the most challenging and best years of my life,” Rachel read from the letter. “Nothing can begin to describe my love for you.” Rachel recalled how she became emotional peeking into Hersh’s room at night, watching the boy as he slept in his blue onesie and held a teddy bear. “I gently tou...