While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Jan 23, 2026
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) and US President Donald Trump posing for a photo during their meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
PHOTO: AFP
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Trump sends ‘war has to end’ message to Putin
US President Donald Trump said his message to Russian leader Vladimir Putin was that the war in Ukraine has to end, after what he said were “good” talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Davos on Jan 22.
US and Ukrainian officials have spent weeks in frenetic shuttle diplomacy as Kyiv faces pressure from Mr Trump to secure peace in the nearly four-year-old war, despite few signs Moscow wants to stop fighting.
After a meeting with the Ukrainian leader that lasted around an hour, Mr Trump said they had a “good” discussion but provided no further details on the substance of the conversation. On Jan 21, Mr Trump had said a deal was “reasonably close”.
“I think the meeting with President Zelensky was good. It’s an ongoing process,” Mr Trump told reporters, saying that US envoys were heading for talks in Moscow on Jan 22. Asked what his message was for Mr Putin, Mr Trump replied: “The war has to end.”
Prabowo pitches Indonesia as a calm investment bet
PHOTO: EPA
Making his World Economic Forum (WEF) debut as Indonesia’s president, Mr Prabowo Subianto used the Davos stage to outline his view of Indonesia as a steady, investable economy amid a more unsettled global environment, stressing the importance of stability and credibility as geopolitical risks rise.
South-east Asia’s largest nation, home to about 280 million people, remains open for business, Mr Prabowo said.
Speaking to a packed room of business and political leaders on Jan 22, he said Indonesia was ready to grow and co-invest with partners, but this must rest on political stability, fiscal discipline and respect for the rule of law.
US touts ‘New Gaza’ filled with luxury real estate
PHOTO: DOUG MILLS/NYTIMES
US officials on Jan 22 presented their vision for a “New Gaza” that would turn the shattered Palestinian territory into a glitzy resort of skyscrapers by the sea, a project that could start emerging in three years.
“We’re going to be very successful in Gaza. It’s going to be a great thing to watch,” US President Donald Trump said, while presenting his controversial “Board of Peace” conflict-resolution body in Davos.
His son-in-law, Mr Jared Kushner, who has no official title but is one of Mr Trump’s envoys for the Gaza ceasefire, said his “master plan” aimed for “catastrophic success”.
Tearful Liz Hurley endured ‘brutal invasion of privacy’
PHOTO: REUTERS
Actress Elizabeth Hurley tearfully said her landlines and home were bugged as part of a “brutal invasion of privacy” to produce stories, as she gave evidence to the High Court in London as part of high-profile privacy lawsuit against the Daily Mail.
Ms Hurley, 60, is one of seven claimants, including Britain’s Prince Harry and singer Elton John, suing the Mail’s publisher Associated Newspapers for alleged privacy violations dating from the early 1990s to the 2010s.
Associated, which also publishes the Mail On Sunday, has called the allegations against it “preposterous smears”.
Sinners breaks Oscars record with 16 nominations
PHOTO: AFP
Vampire period horror film Sinners smashed the all-time Oscars record with 16 nominations, the Academy announced on Jan 22.
The blues-inflected race allegory from director Ryan Coogler scored nominations in nearly every category possible, including best picture.
In doing so, Sinners blasted past the previous record of 14, jointly held by Titanic, La La Land and All About Eve.
