While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, May 6, 2025
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Israeli troops deploy at a position near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, on May 5.
PHOTO: AFP
DeeperDive is a beta AI feature. Refer to full articles for the facts.
Israel says ‘most’ Gazans to be displaced in expanded operation
Israel’s military said on May 5 that expanded operations in Gaza approved by the government would include displacing “most” residents of the Palestinian territory, with the UN chief expressing alarm at the plan.
The Israeli security Cabinet approved overnight the plan, which an Israeli official said will entail “the conquest of the Gaza Strip and the holding of the territories”.
The decision comes as the United Nations and aid organisations have repeatedly warned of the humanitarian catastrophe on the ground, with famine again looming after more than two months of a total Israeli blockade.
A UN spokesman said Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “alarmed” by the Israeli plan that “will inevitably lead to countless more civilians killed and the further destruction of Gaza”.
India to hold civil defence drills during Pakistan stand-off as fears of regional conflict rise
PHOTO: AFP
India will conduct mock civil defence drills on May 7, government officials said, as fears of a regional conflict rise following an attack in contested Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on arch-rival Pakistan.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs has asked several states to conduct mock drills for effective civil defence,” Mr Kanchan Gupta, a senior advisor from India’s information ministry, said in a statement.
Mr Gupta said this would involve rehearsing an “evacuation plan” and the “training of civilians, students, et cetera, on the civil defence aspects to protect themselves in the event of a hostile attack”.
All cardinals who will elect new pope arrive in Rome ahead of conclave
REUTERS
All 133 Catholic cardinals who will vote for a new pope have arrived in Rome, the Vatican said on May 5, two days before they gather in conclave to elect the next head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
Hailing from 70 countries across five continents, the group – summoned following the death of Pope Francis on April 21 – is the largest and the most international ever.
At stake is the direction of the Catholic Church, a 2,000-year-old institution with huge global influence but which is battling to adapt to the modern world and recover its reputation after the scandal of widespread child sex abuse by priests.
Trump tariff order on movies leaves film industry flummoxed
PHOTO: REUTERS
The entertainment industry reacted with a mixture of alarm and bafflement on May 5 after US President Donald Trump said he would put a 100 per cent tariff on all movies produced outside the US, but issued few details on just how such a levy would work.
Mr Trump’s May 4 announcement was the latest in his series of levies and threats on various global industries in an effort to boost industrial activity in the United States.
But his trade policy, a combination of tariffs, rollbacks and investigations that could lead to more import taxes, has sapped consumer and business confidence due to their confusing implementation and left many businesses in limbo.
Zhao makes history as China’s first World Snooker champion
PHOTO: AFP
Zhao Xintong became the first Chinese player to win the World Snooker Championship as the qualifier completed his stunning march to the title with a 18-12 victory against Mark Williams in the final on May 5.
Zhao made history at Sheffield’s Crucible Theatre by taking the seven frames he required to clinch the trophy after building a dominant 11-6 lead in May 5’s sessions.
The 28-year-old was only China’s second World Championship finalist, emulating Ding Junhui’s run to the 2016 showpiece.
