While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Oct 24
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A view of the Rafah border gate with Gaza Strip, in Rafah, Egypt.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Two female hostages released by Hamas arrive at Egypt’s Rafah crossing: State media
Two elderly female captives released by Hamas have arrived at the Egyptian Rafah Crossing, the state news agency said late on Monday.
“Egypt’s efforts have succeeded in releasing two females from the Gaza Strip,” the agency said.
The militant group said they had been freed with Egyptian and Qatari mediation for “compelling humanitarian” reasons.
Philippines says Chinese coastguard ‘intentionally’ collided with its boats
via REUTERS
The Philippines on Monday accused Chinese coastguard vessels of “intentionally” colliding with its vessels on a resupply mission in a disputed part of the South China Sea, as ties deteriorated between the Southeast Asian US ally and Beijing.
Both sides traded accusations after the latest incident on Sunday, which was the most serious yet in the waters around the disputed Second Thomas shoal, though no one was harmed.
China said on Sunday that the Philippine boats “bumped dangerously” with the coastguard vessels and “Chinese fishing vessels” fishing there.
Turkey’s Erdogan submits Sweden’s Nato bid to parliament for ratification: Presidency
AFP
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Monday submitted a bill approving Sweden’s Nato membership bid to parliament for ratification, his office said, a move welcomed by Stockholm as it clears the way for it to join the Western defence alliance.
Erdogan pleased his Nato allies at a summit in July by promising to send the legislation to parliament when it reopened on Oct 1, having previously raised objections over Sweden’s alleged harbouring of individuals who Turkey says are members of terrorist groups.
Since parliament reopened, however, Turkish officials have repeatedly said Stockholm needed to take more concrete steps to clamp down on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militia before Ankara could ratify its membership bid. The PKK is deemed a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.
Tottenham go top with 2-0 victory over Fulham
REUTERS
Tottenham Hotspur’s best start to a top-flight season for more 60 years got even better as a 2-0 home win over Fulham sent them two points clear at the Premier League summit on Monday.
Captain Son Heung-min’s seventh league goal of the campaign and James Maddison’s first home strike for the club secured a seventh win in nine league games.
Son curled a right-foot effort into the top corner in the 36th minute and then set up playmaker Maddison to score with a cool finish in the 54th.
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson asks museum to fix his waxwork’s skin color
US actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has joined the chorus of mockery after a Paris museum unveiled a botched waxwork of him, suggesting its skin color – among other things – needs “updating.”
Johnson, who is of Samoan and Black origin, took to Instagram to joke about the Grevin museum’s widely derided wax figure, which depicts him with pale white skin, and bears little likeness to his features.
“For the record, I’m going to have my team reach out to our friends at Grevin Museum, in Paris France so we can work at ‘updating’ my wax figure here with some important details and improvements – starting with my skin color,” wrote Johnson.
