While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Oct 23

Second aid convoy enters Gaza Strip from Egypt: UN official

A second convoy of 14 aid trucks entered the Rafah crossing from the Egyptian side to the besieged Gaza Strip on Sunday night, Juliette Touma, director of communications at the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), told Reuters in Gaza by phone from Amman.

Witnesses reported a blast and ambulance sirens on the border earlier.

Israel’s military said one of its tanks accidentally hit an Egyptian position near the border with the Gaza Strip.

Several Egyptian border guards sustained minor injuries after being hit by fragments of an Israeli tank shell, a spokesperson for the Egyptian army said.

Thousands join Paris’ first authorised pro-Palestinian demonstration since Hamas attacks

Thousands of people waving Palestinian flags and chanting “Gaza, Paris is with you” gathered on Sunday for the first pro-Palestinian demonstration allowed by police in the French capital since the Oct 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

Around 15,000 people turned out at the Place de la Republique, according to police figures, to express solidarity with Palestinians and call for a ceasefire as the death toll from Israeli strikes in Gaza rose to more than 4,700.

“We are here to defend the freedom (of) the people of Palestine, especially with what’s happening in Gaza - it’s unacceptable,” said Noureddine Mansour, a protester present at the Paris rally.

US advises citizens not to travel to Iraq after recent attacks on US personnel

The US State Department said on Sunday US citizens should not travel to Iraq after recent attacks on American troops and personnel in the region.

The travel advisory says, “Do not travel to Iraq due to terrorism, kidnapping, armed conflict, civil unrest, and Mission Iraq’s limited capacity to provide support to US citizens.”

There has been a spike in attacks against US forces in Iraq and Syria since the conflict between Israel and Hamas militants in Gaza broke out. Last week, a US warship shot down more than a dozen drones and four cruise missiles fired by Iranian-backed Houthis from Yemen.

Verstappen holds off Hamilton for 50th career F1 win

Red Bull’s triple world champion Max Verstappen held off a charging Lewis Hamilton to take the 50th win of his Formula One career, and record-equalling 15th of the season, at the US Grand Prix on Sunday.

Mercedes driver Hamilton finished second, a mere 2.225 seconds behind, with McLaren’s Lando Norris third at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

The victory was Verstappen’s third in a row in Austin and equalled with four races to spare the record the Dutch 26-year-old set last year for most wins in a single season.

Aston Villa thrash West Ham to close on Premier League top four

Aston Villa climbed to within two points of the Premier League lead as Douglas Luiz struck twice in a 4-1 win over West Ham on Sunday.

Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey were also on target as Unai Emery’s men recorded an 11th consecutive home Premier League win.

Villa have been transformed in just over a year since Emery took charge and showed why they harbour ambitions to qualify for the Champions League for the first time this season.