While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Aug 29, 2025
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Overnight attacks on Ukraine by Russia with missiles and drones killed at least 18 people.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Trump not happy with Russia strike on Ukraine
President Donald Trump “was not happy” about Russian attacks on Ukraine with missiles and drones on Aug 28 and planned to talk more about the subject later, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said.
Since Mr Trump met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska nearly two weeks ago, little progress has been made towards a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine despite Mr Trump’s attempts to negotiate a halt in the fighting.
Overnight attacks on Ukraine by Russia killed at least 18 people and damaged buildings.
“He was not happy about this news, but he was also not surprised. These are two countries that have been at war for a very long time,” Ms Leavitt said of Mr Trump. She told reporters that Mr Trump will make an additional statement on the situation later on Aug 28.
Expelled Iranian ambassador decries ‘lies’
Iran ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi, arriving at Sydney Airport before an expulsion deadline, on Aug 28 rejected as “lies” Australia’s accusation that Tehran had directed anti-Semitic arson attacks in the cities of Sydney and Melbourne.
Australia gave Mr Sadeghi 72 hours on Aug 26 to leave the country, the nation’s first expulsion of an ambassador since World War II. Three other Iranian embassy officials were given seven days to leave.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was briefed by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation on Aug 25 on evidence of payments to criminals that he said linked two attacks, on a synagogue and a kosher restaurant, to offshore individuals and Tehran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Warming waters bring stinging slug to Spain’s coasts
When a pair of curious-looking sea slugs were found this month on the beach near Guardamar del Segura, few in the resort town in southern Spain noticed.
But then, last week, the tiny blue creatures – capable of delivering one of the most ferocious stings in the animal world – began washing ashore in droves.
“They kept appearing, one after the other, after the other, and at times on a massive scale,” said Mr Jose Luis Saez, the town’s mayor.
‘Hell no’: $1,000 bill shows tariff pain to hit shoppers
Days after ordering high-end computer parts, Mr Chris Pawlukiewicz got an unpleasant surprise: a bill for US$934 (S$1,197) in tariffs he owed to US Customs and Border Protection.
“I was immediately like, ‘hell no’,” said the avid gamer from Louisiana. He consulted Reddit and made a few calls to customer service to parse the details in his invoice – delivered by United Parcel Service on the US government’s behalf – and found that the parts he ordered from Germany had been over-tariffed.
But he still owed a 25 per cent tariff because his purchase included components originating from China and a 50 per cent duty applied to an aluminium derivative.
Champions PSG drawn against Bayern, Barcelona
Champions League holders Paris St Germain will play Bayern Munich and Barcelona in this season’s league phase while record 15-times winners Real Madrid will face Manchester City and Liverpool, after the Aug 28 draw set up some blockbuster encounters.
PSG will also meet Premier League sides Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United along with Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen in the new league phase format which started last season, where each club plays eight games -- four at home and four on the road.
Real Madrid will play Manchester City again for a fifth consecutive season and make a trip to Liverpool, in what will be a homecoming for Trent Alexander-Arnold, the English fullback who left Anfield to join Real in the close season.
