While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, March 27, 2026
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US President Donald Trump speaking during a Cabinet meeting on March 26, flanked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth.
PHOTO: DOUG MILLS/NYTIMES
Trump pushes back Iran strikes deadline to April 6
US President Donald Trump said on March 26 he would not yet strike Iranian power plants as previously threatened after a request from Tehran, and added that talks with the Islamic republic were “going very well”.
“As per Iranian Government request, please let this statement serve to represent that I am pausing the period of Energy Plant destruction by 10 Days to Monday, April 6, 2026, at 8 P.M., Eastern Time,” Mr Trump said on his Truth Social platform.
“Talks are ongoing and, despite erroneous statements to the contrary by the Fake News Media, and others, they are going very well.”
On March 21, Mr Trump had initially given Iran 48 hours to open the crucial Strait of Hormuz to oil tankers, threatening to destroy its power plants, but he has now extended the deadline twice.
Zelensky in Saudi Arabia for ‘important meetings’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on March 26 that he had arrived in Saudi Arabia and would hold “important meetings”, part of an effort to bolster ties with Middle East countries amid the Iran war.
Kyiv is offering its air-defence expertise and drone technology to countries in the region reeling from Iranian strikes.
It hopes in return, Mr Zelensky has said, for support in its war against Russia.
Envoy to Britain warns against cancelling king’s US visit
PHOTO: REUTERS
Washington’s envoy to the UK said on March 26 it would be a “big mistake” to cancel King Charles III’s planned state visit to the US, following calls to abandon the trip over the Middle East war.
It has been rumoured for months that the British monarch will visit the United States in April, but Buckingham Palace has not officially confirmed the trip.
The plans have met with opposition, including from politicians urging it to be called off over the US-Israel war against Iran and President Donald Trump’s harsh critiques of UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
‘True miracle’: Napoleon’s long-lost hat to go on display
PHOTO: AFP
A newly discovered hat believed to have been worn by Napoleon Bonaparte during his exile on the island of Saint Helena is set to go on display outside Paris later this year, historians said on March 26.
The black felt bicorne was presented to the media on March 26 and will be exhibited at the Chateau de Chantilly, north of Paris, later in the year.
Mr Mathieu Deldicque, director of the Conde Museum, where the headdress will go on display, said the find was a “true miracle”, stressing that all of its parts were well preserved.
Only biological females allowed in Olympic events
PHOTO: REUTERS
Only biological female athletes, whose gender will be determined by a one-time gene-screening test, will now be eligible to take part in female category events at the Olympic Games, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on March 26.
The new rules essentially stop transgender athletes from competing in female category events at the Olympics. They had previously been eligible to compete at the Games once cleared by their respective federations.
Following an 18-month consultation phase, the IOC unveiled its policy for the Olympic Games, Youth Olympics and Games qualifiers. It is widely expected to be adopted by international sports federations and become a universal rule for competitors in female elite sports, after years of fragmented regulation that led to major controversies.
