While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Oct 20, 2025
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During the meeting, Mr Trump insisted Mr Zelensky surrender the entire eastern Donbas region to Russia.
PHOTO: EPA
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Trump urged Zelensky to cut a deal with Putin or risk facing destruction, FT reports
US President Donald Trump urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to accept Russia’s terms for ending the war between Russia and Ukraine in a White House meeting on Oct 17, warning that President Vladimir Putin threatened to “destroy” Ukraine if it didn’t comply, the Financial Times reported on Oct 19.
During the meeting, Mr Trump insisted Mr Zelensky surrender the entire eastern Donbas region to Russia, repeatedly echoing talking points the Russian president had made in their call a day earlier, the newspaper said, citing people familiar with the matter.
Ukraine ultimately managed to swing Mr Trump back to endorsing a freeze of the current front lines, the FT said. Mr Trump said after the meeting that the two sides should stop the war at the battle line; Mr Zelensky said that was an important point.
North Korean soldier held by Seoul after crossing land border
A North Korean soldier was taken into custody by the South after he voluntarily crossed the heavily fortified land border separating the two Koreas on Oct 19, Seoul’s military said.
The soldier was seeking to “defect to the South”, a defence ministry official told AFP.
Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to South Korea since the peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s, with most going overland to neighbouring China first, then entering a third country such as Thailand before finally making it to the South.
EU to hold urgent industry talks Monday on China rare-earth export curbs
EU industry chief Stephane Sejourne will hold urgent talks on Oct 20 with European industries impacted by China’s curbs on rare earths exports.
China, the world’s leading producer of the minerals used to make magnets crucial to the auto, electronics and defence industries, announced new controls on the export of rare-earth technologies in October.
The European Union has already said the restrictions have forced some of the bloc’s companies to halt production and inflicted economic harm.
Man Utd’s Maguire heads late winner in 2-1 defeat of struggling Liverpool
Manchester United’s Harry Maguire struck a late header to seal a thrilling 2–1 Premier League victory over Liverpool on Oct 19, ending their nine-year drought without a win at Anfield and dealing a blow to the reigning champions’ title chase.
Liverpool, who have lost four consecutive games across all competitions for the first time since November 2014, dropped to fourth in the table on 15 points, four behind leaders Arsenal.
United, who won back-to-back league games for the first time since manager Ruben Amorim was appointed last November, climbed to ninth with 13 points.
US GP in Austin to stay on F1 calendar until 2034
Formula One’s US Grand Prix will remain at Austin’s Circuit of the Americas until at least the end of 2034, the Liberty Media-owned sport said on Oct 19.
The race at the Texan circuit, one of three in the United States with Miami and Las Vegas, has drawn some of the biggest crowds on the calendar with 430,000 attending over the three days in 2024.
“With this contract, Cota will overtake Watkins Glen as the longest serving Formula One track in the United States,” said promoter and circuit chairman Bobby Epstein in a statement.
