While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Oct 19, 2025
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A demonstrator holds a sign in front of Trump International Hotel and Tower, as people gather for a "No Kings" protest in Chicago, Illinois, USA.
PHOTO: REUTERS
‘No Kings’ protesters emerge en masse for anti-Trump rallies
Protesters massed in cities across the US on Oct 18, channeling a “No Kings” message to denounce what they view as authoritarian tendencies and the unbridled corruption of US President Donald Trump.
Organisers expected millions of people to turn out by day’s end at more than 2,600 planned rallies in major cities, small towns and some foreign capitals, challenging a Trump-led agenda that has reshaped the government and upended democratic norms with unprecedented speed since he took office in January.
“There is nothing more American than saying, ‘We don’t have kings’ and exercising our right to peacefully protest,” said Ms Leah Greenberg, co-founder of Indivisible, a progressive organisation that led planning of Oct 18’s events.
The protests reflect growing unease among many Americans, mainly on the left of the political spectrum, to developments such as the criminal prosecution of Mr Trump’s perceived political enemies, his militarised immigration crackdown and the sending of National Guard troops into US cities – a move Mr Trump has said was aimed at fighting crime and protecting immigration agents.
Dark horse Cheng Li-wun wins leadership race of Taiwan’s opposition KMT
Former lawmaker Cheng Li-wun has been elected the new leader of Taiwan’s largest opposition party, the Kuomintang (KMT) – a role crucial to potentially steering the party back to power in the island’s 2028 presidential race.
The 130-year-old KMT – the oldest in East Asia – has lost three straight presidential elections to the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) since 2016, but analysts told The Straits Times that its supporters now see a glimmer of hope in a new chairperson.
“Cheng represents fresh energy and has a fighting spirit, so she is seen as capable of taking the KMT into a new era,” said Dr Philip Yang, managing director of the Taipei Forum think-tank.
Israel’s Netanyahu says Gaza war not over until Hamas disarms
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Oct 18 that the war in Gaza wouldn’t be over until Hamas was disarmed and the Palestinian territory demilitarised.
His declaration came as Hamas’s armed wing, the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, handed over the remains of two further hostages on the night of Oct 18 under a US-brokered ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli military said late on Oct 18 that a Red Cross team received the remains of two hostages and the coffins were on their way to its security forces in Gaza.
At least 17 dead after bus crashes in north-eastern Brazil
At least 17 people died in north-east Brazil when a bus that had been traveling on the wrong side of the road went out of control and flipped, police said on Oct 18.
The tragedy took place late on Oct 17 in Pernambuco state, when the driver of the vehicle with 30 people aboard hit some rocks on the side of the road as he drove in the wrong lane, a police statement said.
The bus returned to the correct lane, but then crashed into an embankment before flipping over, the statement said.
Verstappen wins dramatic US Grand Prix sprint, McLarens crash
Max Verstappen made the most of a first-corner collision between the two McLaren drivers to win Saturday’s sprint race at the US Grand Prix and reduce Oscar Piastri’s lead over him by eight points.
The four-time world champion turned his third consecutive sprint pole at the Circuit of the Americas into a third straight sprint win, reducing the gap between him and Piastri to 55 points.
Lando Norris remained second, 22 points behind Piastri who had crashed into him after being hit by Nico Hulkenberg’s Sauber as the German driver attempted to sweep inside the McLarens at Turn One.
