While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Nov 5, 2025
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People wait in a security checkpoint line at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas, on Nov 4.
PHOTO: AFP
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Shutdown may force US to close some air space next week, official sees ‘mass chaos’
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy warned on Nov 4 that if the federal government shutdown continues another week it could lead to “mass chaos” and could force him to close some of the national airspace to air traffic, a drastic move that could upend American aviation.
“If you bring us to a week from today, Democrats, you will see mass chaos, you will see mass flight delays. You’ll see mass cancellations, and you may see us close certain parts of the airspace, because we just cannot manage it,” Mr Duffy said at a press conference on Nov 4. “We will restrict the airspace when we feel it’s unsafe.”
US aviation has already faced tens of thousands of flight delays over the last month. The comments represented the Trump administration’s most dire warnings of impending impacts from rising air traffic controller absences.
An airline industry group estimates that over 3.2 million passengers have been affected by flight delays or cancellations due to a spike in air traffic controller absences since the shutdown began Oct 1.
China, Russia vow joint response to ‘unilateral’ sanctions
PHOTO: REUTERS
China and Russia pledged a joint response to unilateral sanctions during a visit by Russia’s Prime Minister, as Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed Beijing’s commitment to advancing ties with Moscow despite “turbulent” external conditions.
“Both sides will make every necessary effort to carry out mutual assistance and cooperation in opposing unilateral coercive measures,” Beijing and Moscow said in a joint communique released by China’s foreign ministry on Nov 4 after a meeting between Premier Li Qiang and his Russian counterpart Mikhail Mishustin the day earlier.
“Any unilateral coercive measures taken by any country or group of countries bypassing UN Security Council resolutions are illegal,” it said, adding that such measures cannot be accepted or recognised.
Hong Kong freezes $461 million of assets tied to Prince Group syndicate
PHOTO: PRINCEGROUPKH/X
Hong Kong authorities said on Nov 4 they had frozen assets worth HK$2.75 billion (S$461 million) linked to a criminal syndicate that local media reports identified as the Prince Group run by sanctioned Chinese-Cambodian tycoon Chen Zhi.
Britain and the US in October sanctioned the South-east Asia-based multinational network, which is accused of operating large-scale online “scam centres” that used trafficked workers to defraud victims around the world.
Chen, 38, was indicted by a US court on charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.
Young leftist Mamdani on track to win New York vote, shaking up US politics
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
New Yorkers looked set to elect a young Muslim leftist as mayor on Nov 4 as US voters cast judgment for the first time on President Donald Trump’s tumultuous second presidency in nationwide local elections.
While Mr Zohran Mamdani’s rise has dominated headlines, elections for governor in Virginia and New Jersey could also be revealing gauges of the US political mood nearly 10 months since Mr Trump’s return to the White House.
Mr Mamdani was on about 44 per cent in latest polls, several points ahead of former state governor Andrew Cuomo who is running as an independent.
EU says it could admit new members by 2030, praises Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine
PHOTO: EPA
The European Commission said on Nov 4 that the EU could welcome new members as early as 2030 as it praised Montenegro, Albania, Ukraine and Moldova for their progress on reforms needed to join the bloc.
The Commission also criticised Serbia for slowing down its reform process. It accused Georgia of "serious democratic backsliding" and said the former Soviet republic was now considered a candidate country "in name only".
"Expanding the Union is in our best interest," the EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas told reporters in Brussels as she presented the Commission's annual report on would-be members' efforts to join the bloc.
