While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Aug 1
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not mention the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, in a televised address on July 31.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Israel ‘delivered crushing blows’ to its enemies, says PM
Israel “delivered crushing blows to all our enemies”, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on July 31, explicitly mentioning the killing of Hezbollah leader Fuad Shukr in south Beirut.
Mr Netanyahu’s televised statement lasted for approximately five minutes and did not make any reference to the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
But he said that had Israel succumbed to pressure for ending the war in Gaza it “would not have eliminated Hamas leaders and thousands of terrorists”.
He directly referred to the July 30 killing of Shukr in a southern Beirut neighbourhood.
Trump says Kamala Harris opted to ‘turn Black’
Donald Trump questioned on July 31 whether Democrat Kamala Harris is really Black or is using race as a political convenience, in an interview that sent shockwaves through the 2024 presidential contest.
“She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black,” Trump told a panel of interviewers at the National Association of Black Journalists conference in Chicago.
“And now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?“ he said of Ms Harris, who is the first Black, female, and South-Asian-heritage vice-president in US history.
World wants Russia at second peace summit, says Zelensky
AFP
The entire world, including Ukraine, wants Russia to join global leaders at a planned second peace summit to end the war in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky told French media.
“The majority of the world today says that Russia must be represented at the second summit, otherwise we will not achieve meaningful results,” he said in western Ukraine. “Since the whole world wants them to be at the table, we cannot be against it.”
Mr Zelensky gathered leaders and top officials from dozens of countries at the Swiss mountainside resort of Burgenstock in June for a first summit, which Russia derided as a waste of time and China shunned.
Large fire breaks out in Rome near public TV station
A large fire broke out in Rome on July 31 on a hill near the Italian capital’s court of justice and a public TV broadcasting centre, forcing the evacuation of several buildings and offices, firefighters said.
The fire in the Monte Mario area was under control, with 10 crews on the case, the national fire department said on X, posting a video showing helicopters and fire engines, and a few burnt out parked cars.
“As things stand, I think we still have a lot of work to do,” to put out the fire, the head of Rome’s firefighters, Adriano De Acutis, told RAI public television.
Loh through to Olympic badminton round of 16
The Straits Times
On a day of several badminton upsets, Singapore’s Loh Kean Yew was made to work for his spot in the Paris 2024 Olympics men’s singles round of 16, as he beat the spirited world No. 50 Uriel Canjura 21-13, 21-16 on July 31.
The hard-earned victory over El Salvador’s first Olympic badminton player at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena helped world No. 12 Loh top Group M after a win over 63rd-ranked Czech Jan Louda on July 28.
Only each of the 13 group winners progress and Loh will play China’s world No. 6 Li Shifeng on Aug 1 for a place in the quarter-finals.
