While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 30
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) welcomes former US vice-president Mike Pence to Kyiv.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Follow topic:
Pence, ex-US V-P and presidential hopeful, visits Ukraine
Former US vice-president Mike Pence, who is running for the Republican nomination in the 2024 presidential election, made a surprise visit to Ukraine on Thursday, to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“Freedom is winning in Ukraine, and now more than ever, we need to keep faith with the courageous fighters here in Ukraine who are standing for freedom and pushing back on Russian aggression,” Mr Pence told reporters, after meeting Mr Zelensky.
Mr Pence is the first Republican presidential candidate to meet Mr Zelensky during the campaign.
Mr Pence has been a vocal critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin and full-throated supporter of Ukraine, as he takes on his former boss Donald Trump for their party’s nomination.
US Supreme Court strikes down race-conscious admissions
REUTERS
The US Supreme Court on Thursday struck down race-conscious student admissions programmes currently used at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina (UNC).
It is a sharp setback to affirmative action policies often used to increase the number of Black, Hispanic and other under-represented minority groups on campuses.
The justices ruled in favour of a group called Students for Fair Admissions, founded by anti-affirmative action activist Edward Blum, in its appeal of lower court rulings upholding programmes used at the two prestigious schools to foster a diverse student population.
Chinese spy balloon did not gather data over US, says Pentagon
REUTERS
The Chinese spy balloon shot down by a US fighter jet over the Atlantic in February did not collect intelligence as it flew across the United States, the Pentagon said on Thursday.
“It’s been our assessment now that it did not collect while it was transiting the United States or overflying the United States,” said Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder.
Mr Ryder said the US “took steps to mitigate” intelligence collection by the balloon. “Certainly, the efforts we made contributed” to that, Mr Ryder said, without further explanation.
2,000 haj pilgrims hit by heat stress
AFP
More than 2,000 people have suffered heat stress during the haj pilgrimage, Saudi officials said on Thursday, after temperatures soared to 48 deg C during the annual rites.
Over 1.8 million Muslim worshippers performed the days-long haj, mostly held outdoors at the height of the Saudi desert summer.
Many elderly were among the pilgrims after a Covid-era maximum age limit was scrapped.
Man United agree deal to sign Chelsea’s Mount, say reports
REUTERS
Manchester United have agreed to sign England midfielder Mason Mount from Chelsea for an initial £55 million (S$94 million), according to reports on Thursday.
United will pay an additional £5 million dependent on Mount’s appearances and success at Old Trafford, the reports said.
The 24-year-old, whose Chelsea contract is due to expire next year, is understood to have agreed a five-year contract, with an option for a further year.
