While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 9
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Ms Noa Argamani embracing her father, Mr Yakov Argamani, on June 8, in Israel, after she was rescued from Gaza captivity by the Israeli army.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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Israeli hostage freed in time to see terminally ill mother
Hours after being rescued from eight months captivity in Gaza, freed hostage Noa Argamani arrived at a hospital in Tel Aviv to see her terminally ill mother.
Ms Argamani, 26, was one of the most recognised faces among the hostages abducted by Hamas on Oct 7.
Harrowing footage of her being taken into Gaza on the back of a motorcycle, pleading for her life and reaching desperately towards her boyfriend being marched alongside her on foot circulated across the globe. Ms Argamani’s boyfriend Avinatan Or is still in captivity.
Ms Argamani was rescued on June 8, along with three other hostages, in an operation by Israeli special forces from an apartment building in central Gaza.
Biden vows in France US is ‘standing strong’ with Ukraine
President Joe Biden on June 8 vowed Washington was “standing strong” with Ukraine as French counterpart Emmanuel Macron hosted him on a state visit shadowed by Kyiv’s fight against Russia’s invasion and the looming US election.
Speaking after visiting Normandy earlier this week to mark 80 years since D-Day, Mr Biden repeatedly emphasised the value of America’s European alliances in a swipe at his more isolationist election rival Donald Trump.
With Ukraine struggling to repel Russian advances over two years into the war and in desperate need of greater Western military aid, Mr Biden insisted that under his rule the United States would not flinch in its support.
Virgin Galactic completes final spaceflight before pause
VIA REUTERS
Virgin Galactic on June 8 successfully completed its last spaceflight before heading into a two-year pause on commercial operations to upgrade its fleet, as the space tourism company seeks to finally turn a profit.
“Galactic07 is back on terra firma, now as astronauts!” the company said on X, formerly Twitter, referring to a team of two pilots and two passengers. “Our pilots, crew and spaceship have landed safely at Spaceport America, New Mexico.”
A huge carrier plane took off from the runway at 8.31am Mountain Time and climbed to an altitude of some 13,500m over approximately 50 minutes.
Orban critics draw tens of thousands on eve of EU vote
REUTERS
Tens of thousands rallied on June 8 for Hungarian opposition figure Peter Magyar, who has emerged as the main challenger to long-time nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, on the eve of EU elections.
Though Mr Orban’s Fidesz party stands to gain an unassailable 50 per cent of votes, according to the latest polls, Magyar’s Tisza movement is expected to win around 27 per cent on June 9.
Mr Magyar, a 43-year-old former government insider, shot to prominence earlier in 2024, following a child abuse pardon scandal that shook Mr Orban’s government in an unprecedented way.
Iga Swiatek wins 3rd straight French Open title
There was hardly any doubt that world No. 1 Iga Swiatek would win her third consecutive French Open title, her fourth in total, and her fifth Grand Slam on June 8.
The Polish star was probably the most confident, but that did not stop her from letting out a great roar of exhilaration and a happy hop around Court Philippe-Chatrier after brushing aside Italy’s Jasmine Paolini 6-2, 6-1.
Swiatek, still only 23, is the third player after Justine Henin (2005-07) and Monica Seles (1990-92) to lift the Suzanne Lenglen Cup three years in a row since tennis turned professional in 1968.
