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The Sept. 1 encounter involved the father aboard United Airlines Flight 108 and his daughter aboard CommuteAir Flight 4977, according to additional reports about the exchange. United 108 was a Boeing 787 preparing to fly to Munich, while the daughter’s United Express flight, operated by CommuteAir with an Embraer E145, was bound for Syracuse.

The encounter apparently began when the daughter recognized her father’s voice as he communicated with controllers at Dulles.

“Pops?,” the daughter said. She was flying a CommuteAir flight.

Her father immediately recognized her, asking where she was. She told him she was preparing to depart from Runway 1R and wished him safe travels. The entire exchange lasted only about 45 seconds, but others on the frequency quickly realized that they were listening to a father and daughter who had unexpectedly crossed paths at work.

“So you daughter is a pilot, aren’t you a proud papa?” another person chimes in on audio.

“Sort of,” the father responds.

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The teasing did not end there. The father confirmed that his daughter no longer lives at home, but acknowledged that one important financial connection to her parents remains: She is still on the family’s cellphone plan.

Another person on the frequency joked that the daughter should not be removed from her father’s phone plan until she gets married, saying that he himself had remained on his mother’s plan until his wedding. The daughter, who was still listening from her cockpit, then jumped back into the conversation to announce that she was single.

The brief family banter ended soon afterward, and both pilots returned to the business of operating their respective flights.

The recording subsequently spread online, where the unusual father-daughter encounter drew attention for bringing a distinctly personal moment to the normally technical and tightly controlled world of air traffic communications.

Dulles International Airport later shared the exchange with the caption, “POV: You run into your dad at work.” The airport characterized the encounter as a “family reunion on the runway,” while United Airlines joined the fun with its own response: “Now boarding: A forever family phone plan.”

The additional details made the coincidence even more remarkable. The father and daughter were not merely working at the same airport. They were piloting different aircraft for separate flights to different destinations — one headed across the Atlantic to Munich and the other to Syracuse — and happened to be monitoring the same radio frequency at precisely the right moment.

For two pilots accustomed to spending their working lives traveling between cities and airports, the unexpected meeting lasted less than a minute. But one familiar voice over the radio was enough to turn ordinary air traffic chatter into a memorable family moment — and to remind a father that even a daughter old enough to fly a commercial airliner can apparently still remain on Dad’s phone plan.

Rescuers in Nepal pulled two hydropower workers alive from a tunnel on Friday, nine days after catastrophic flash floods buried the facility in mud and water, raising hopes that additional survivors could still be found as emergency crews reported hearing voices from deeper inside the complex.

The extraordinary discoveries have given rescue teams new urgency more than a week after the flooding devastated large areas of Nepal and killed more than 1,200 people. CBS News correspondent Ramy Inocencio reported that rescuers believe more people — potentially dozens — could still emerge alive after voices were detected within the partially submerged and mud-covered tunnel system.

The two men were rescued from the Trishuli 3A hydropower tunnel nine days after the disaster. The massive flooding, believed to have possibly been triggered by the collapse of a glacier, destroyed towns and swept away entire villages across parts of Nepal.

Nepalese lawmaker Shri Ram Neupane announced the second rescue on Facebook shortly after army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet confirmed that the first worker had been brought out alive.

Nepalese Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal told Inocencio in a text message that he was “thrilled” about the two rescues and “hoping to see more survivors.” Khanal said officials still did not know how many people might remain alive within the tunnel, but the sound of voices has intensified the race to reach anyone still trapped.

According to Neupane, rescue personnel first detected voices coming from within the tunnel Friday morning. Those sounds helped search teams determine where the two surviving workers were located.

Television footage from the scene showed the first survivor emerging covered in mud and being carried on the shoulder of a member of the rescue team. Authorities said both rescued men were in stable condition and were transported by air to a hospital in Kathmandu for treatment.

Sanjay Shah, a mechanical foreman at the hydropower project, said “thank you” after rescuers brought him out of the tunnel. Because of his weakened physical condition after nine days trapped underground, however, he was advised not to continue speaking, Inocencio reported.

Amir Maharjan, whose brother, mechanical supervisor Kabir Maharjan, was the other worker rescued, described the family’s overwhelming reaction to learning that he was alive. He told The Associated Press he “can’t explain what we are feeling at the moment. We are just grateful to God.” Maharjan said relatives were traveling to the hospital to reunite with him.

Kabir Maharjan’s wife, Hirashova, described the ordeal the family had endured while waiting for news of her husband.

“We couldn’t properly eat or drink for 10 days,” she told CBS News partner BBC News. “We were very scared. Now we are all happy. We are even crying.”

Despite Friday’s remarkable rescues, hundreds of employees from the Trishuli 3A hydropower project remain unaccounted for. At least 557 workers are still missing, and approximately 115 are believed to be trapped inside the project’s main tunnel, according to the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal.

An energy adviser in Nepal told Inocencio that the structure where the workers are believed to be trapped is far more complicated than a single tunnel extending underground beside the Trishuli River. Instead, it consists of an interconnected network of chambers and rooms extending in different directions and at varying levels, making the rescue operation considerably more difficult.

The adviser said many of the people trapped inside are among Nepal’s most highly skilled engineers and suggested they have likely spent the past nine days attempting to devise ways to escape and maintain access to oxygen. A lack of breathable air remains the greatest danger for those who may still be alive inside.

The nationwide toll from the disaster remains staggering. Nepal’s disaster management agency said at least 1,287 people have been killed and more than 5,000 others remain missing. Across the border in Tibet, Chinese authorities said as of late Wednesday that 21 people had died and another 541 remained unaccounted for.

The flooding has also devastated Nepal’s hydropower industry. Local authorities said approximately 900 workers remain missing from 12 hydropower projects across the country, with an estimated 500 of them believed to be trapped inside tunnels.

{Matzav.com}

The owner of 1800-Eichler’s in Boro Park is distancing his store from several aspects of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s controversial visit this week, saying the Judaica retailer neither invited the mayor nor participated in distributing gifts to him.

Hirsch Meir Traube released a video Thursday night seeking to clarify what occurred during Mamdani’s Wednesday appearance at the 13th Avenue store, after footage of the visit generated widespread discussion and criticism on social media.

“We did not invite Mayor Mamdani,” Traube said. “None of our staff were involved in any of the gift giving. It was all from independent influencers.”

Traube also rejected suggestions that Eichler’s personnel were responsible for removing individuals from the premises during Mamdani’s appearance.

“We weren’t involved in kicking anyone out of the store,” he said.

The clarification followed the widespread circulation of videos showing Mamdani visiting the store as part of his outreach to the Jewish community ahead of Rosh Hashanah. During the stop, the mayor spoke with community figures and was introduced to various aspects of the upcoming Yom Tov.

Among those at the store during Mamdani’s visit were Boro Park Jewish Community Council CEO Avi Greenstein, Rav Yaakov Landau and Traube. Other members of the local community also greeted the mayor during his appearance.

Uri Fraenkel, the mayor’s director of special projects, blew the shofar during the event. Mamdani was also presented with honey in connection with the traditional Rosh Hashanah wish for a sweet new year.

Mamdani greeted those gathered at the store with a “Shana Tovah.”

The otherwise cordial appearance became contentious when Stephanie Benshimol, who identified herself as a Jewish advocate, confronted Mamdani inside the store over antisemitism.

“Stop the antisemitism! You have all the power to stop the antisemitism. I’m begging you to do it,” Benshimol shouted.

Benshimol also challenged Mamdani over his repeated focus on Israel, arguing that the mayor’s positions were helping fuel an atmosphere of hostility toward Jews.

Menachem Gindi, an employee of Eichler’s who witnessed the encounter, subsequently told CBS New York that the confrontation created an uncomfortable situation, although he said he believed Benshimol’s concerns had merit.

The controversy comes amid continued concern over antisemitism in New York City. According to NYPD figures, anti-Jewish hate crimes have risen 8% year-to-date compared with the same period last year, with incidents targeting Jews accounting for more than half of all reported hate crimes in the city.

Mamdani’s relationship with segments of the Jewish community has been strained by his positions and rhetoric concerning Israel. Among the remarks that have drawn criticism was his description of Israeli Prime Minister Binyomin Netanyahu as a “war criminal” in a video released in July.

The mayor has maintained that his criticism of Israel and its government should be distinguished from hostility toward Jews or Judaism.

“When we make criticisms of a nation-state or policies, we have to remember that those are criticisms of exactly that — never of a people, never of a faith,” Mamdani told CBS New York following an earlier discussion concerning antisemitism.

Wednesday’s stop in Boro Park was one element of Mamdani’s outreach to Jewish New Yorkers in advance of the Yomim Noraim. In August, he also participated in a private meeting with rabbonim focused on antisemitism and the growing number of anti-Jewish incidents.

The Mamdani administration has said it wants Jewish residents of New York City to be able to “live openly, proudly and safely.” City Hall has also pledged additional funding for efforts to prevent hate crimes and an expansion of the mayoral office devoted to combating antisemitism.

Meanwhile, the NYPD is increasing its preparations ahead of the Yomim Noraim. A citywide security briefing with Jewish communal leaders is scheduled for next week, while Brooklyn South police officials met with Jewish leaders on Monday to discuss security measures for the coming weeks.

Traube concluded his video by emphasizing his own and the store’s support for Israel.

“We do support Israel,” he said. “Am Yisroel Chai.”

The controversy has also created some confusion because two separate Judaica stores in Brooklyn operate under the Eichler’s name.

Mamdani visited 1800 Eichler’s, also known as 1-800 Eichler’s and previously known as The New Eichler’s, located at 5004 13th Avenue in Boro Park. The store is independently owned by Traube, who acquired the business around 2024.

Eichler’s of Flatbush, located at 1401 Coney Island Avenue, is a separate business. That store remains owned by the Eichler family and has been operating since 1977.

The two retailers are independently owned and operated, and Eichler’s of Flatbush was not involved in Mamdani’s Boro Park visit.

{Matzav.com}

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