While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Oct 22, 2025
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Matryoshka dolls depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump being displayed at a gift shop in Moscow, Russia.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
Putin-Trump talks in Budapest on hold after Russia rejects ceasefire
A planned summit between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin was put on hold on Oct 21, as Moscow’s rejection of an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine cast a cloud over attempts at negotiations.
A senior White House official told Reuters that “there are no plans for President Trump to meet with President Putin in the immediate future” after Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had a “productive call” but opted against an in-person meeting.
Mr Trump had announced last week that he and Mr Putin would meet soon in Hungary to try to bring an end to the war in Ukraine. But Mr Putin has been unwilling to consider concessions. Moscow has long demanded that Ukraine agree to cede more territory before any ceasefire.
Russia reiterated its long-standing terms for a peace deal in a private communique known as a “non paper” that it sent to the US last weekend, according to two US officials and a person familiar with the situation.
Former US officials urge Congress to examine ‘weaponisation’ working group
PHOTO: REUTERS
A group of hundreds of former US national security officials on Oct 21 urged lawmakers to examine an internal government group that has been coordinating President Donald Trump's retribution drive against his perceived enemies.
The Steady State, a rule-of-law advocacy group, issued its call for congressional inquiries into the Interagency Weaponisation Working Group in a letter to the top Republicans and Democrats on the Senate and House intelligence, judiciary and armed services committees.
The letter came a day after Reuters disclosed that a review of government records showed that the interagency group drew dozens of officials from the CIA, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (Odni), the Justice Department, the FBI and other departments.
Louvre heist losses estimated at $133 million
PHOTO: REUTERS
The jewellery stolen from the Louvre in Paris was valued at an estimated €88 million (S$133 million), a French prosecutor said on Oct 21, as the museum’s director faces security questions from a Senate committee over the brazen weekend heist.
The director, Laurence des Cars, has not made any public statement since thieves made off with royal jewels during a daylight robbery on Oct 19 that took just seven minutes.
The Louvre is expected to re-open on Oct 22 following two days of shut doors for the investigation – to the frustration of thousands of tourists – and its weekly closure on Oct 21.
OpenAI set to challenge Google with new ChatGPT Atlas browser
PHOTO: REUTERS
OpenAI on Oct 21 unveiled ChatGPT Atlas, a long-anticipated artificial intelligence-powered web browser built around its popular chatbot, in a direct challenge to Google Chrome’s dominance.
The launch marks OpenAI’s latest move to capitalise on 800 million weekly active ChatGPT users, as it expands into more aspects of users’ online lives by collecting data about consumers’ browser behaviour.
It could accelerate a broader shift toward AI-driven search, as users increasingly turn to conversational tools that synthesize information instead of relying on traditional keyword-based results from Google – intensifying competition between OpenAI and Google.
La Liga call off plan to hold Villarreal-Barcelona match in Miami
PHOTO: REUTERS
La Liga’s plan to hold a Barcelona match in Miami in December has been called off because of “uncertainty” about the game within Spain, the Spanish top flight said in a statement on Oct 21.
Champions Barca were set to face Villarreal in the US on Dec 20, which would have been the first European league fixture to be played abroad.
La Liga said their promoter for the match decided to cancel the organisation of the event because of “uncertainty generated in Spain in recent weeks”.
