While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Jan 27, 2026

White House says Trump doesn’t want to see people killed on US streets

The White House said on Jan 26 that President Donald Trump does not want to see people getting hurt or killed on the streets of the United States but will not back down from efforts to deport “violent criminal illegal aliens” from Minnesota.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt briefed reporters after the killing of 37-year-old nurse, Alex Pretti, on Jan 24 by federal officers drew outrage from Americans. It was the second fatal shooting of a US citizen in Minnesota this month.

“Let’s be clear about the circumstances which led to that moment on Saturday. This tragedy occurred as a result of a deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders in Minnesota for weeks,” Ms Leavitt said.

Video from the scene, verified by Reuters, contradicts the Trump administration’s account that immigration agents fired in self-defence after Mr Pretti approached them with a handgun. Footage shows Mr Pretti holding a phone – not a gun – as agents wrestle him to the ground.

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Hong Kong uses decades-old speeches to try pro-democracy activists

A Hong Kong court heard recordings of defiant anti-Beijing speeches, some dating back nearly three decades, as prosecutors presented their case on Jan 26 against two pro-democracy activists facing national security charges.

The Chinese city used to hold annual candlelight vigils to mark Beijing’s deadly crackdown on demonstrators in and around Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989, but those events have been banned in recent years.

Lee Cheuk-yan and Chow Hang-tung, who organised vigils as leaders of the now-defunct Hong Kong Alliance, are standing trial for “incitement to subversion”, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail.

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European countries including Britain lose measles elimination status

Britain and several other European countries have lost their measles elimination status, the World Health Organisation said on Jan 26, after a jump in infections across the continent.

Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan also lost their status, and the WHO urged countries to boost vaccination rates, particularly among under-protected populations, to prevent the viral disease infecting more children. 

Measles is entirely preventable by vaccination, but is very contagious, and so is among the first illnesses to rebound when vaccination rates decline. It commonly causes symptoms including high fever and a rash, but can also lead to serious long-term complications and even death.

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Italy declares state of emergency after storms in southern regions

Italy's government on Jan 26 declared a state of emergency for southern regions battered by a violent storm last week, pledging swift financial aid to rebuild roads and businesses hit by the severe weather.

Relentless rain, powerful winds and waves as high as 9m battered Sicily, Sardinia and Calabria for two days, pushing water inland and overwhelming coastal defences.

Authorities have estimated that the damage ran to more than €1 billion (S$1.5 billion) but despite the scale of the destruction, officials reported no casualties.

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Former FIFA boss Sepp Blatter joins chorus telling fans to shun World Cup

Pleas to consider boycotting the World Cup, which is co-hosted by the United States this summer, are rising amid President Donald Trump’s fraying relationship with Europe.

Sepp Blatter, the controversial former president of FIFA, advised football fans in a social media post on Jan 27 to “stay away” from America and the World Cup. 

Elsewhere, Oke Gottlich, president of the Bundesliga club St Pauli and a vice president of the German Football Association, said that the time had come to “seriously consider and discuss” a boycott, according to an interview in the Hamburger Morgen Post. 

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