While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Oct 30, 2026
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Saudi Arabia, Russia, Argentina and Brazil are said to be frustrating progress at the UN biodiversity meeting in Yerevan, Armenia.
PHOTO: AFP
Nations said to be undermining science at UN nature talks
Political tensions are mounting in the final days of the United Nations biodiversity talks with a handful of countries accused of trying to weaken the science that underpins global nature policy.
The growing feud over the role of science has alarmed veteran negotiators and follows recent efforts by fossil fuel-reliant nations to delay reports by the IPCC, the global authority on climate change.
“The same thing is happening here as what is taking place with the IPCC,” said a French government delegate at the COP17 summit in Yerevan, Armenia.
He said four countries – Saudi Arabia, Russia, Argentina and Brazil – were frustrating progress.
Brazil’s Bolsonaro isolated, ridiculed after self-exile
PHOTO: AFP
In a viral wave of mockery, Brazilian popstar Anitta declared herself free of cellulite, one influencer declared himself the “true president” of Twitter, and another social media user proclaimed himself the winner of the next lottery.
The target of the taunts was Flavio Bolsonaro, who – after fleeing to the United States following his election defeat – proclaimed himself the leader of Brazil on Oct 28 in a confusing series of revised statements.
The moves by the 45-year-old senator have been met in Brazil with a mixture of derision, disbelief, and disapproval, even from within his own camp.
2 dead as ‘fairy chimney’ rock spires collapse in Turkey
A landslide triggered by heavy rainfall caused a rock spire to collapse in Turkey’s Cappadocia tourist region on Oct 29, killing at least two people, the local governor said.
Turkey’s Cappadocia region, a magnet for tourists from around the world, is home to rock formations known as “fairy chimneys”, created by ancient volcanic activity.
“According to initial findings, two people were killed and five others injured in the incident,” Justice Minister Akin Gurlek said on X.
Ex-factory worker crowned China’s richest woman, again
PHOTO: LENS TECHNOLOGY
A factory worker-turned-entrepreneur who made her fortune producing glass screens for Apple’s iPhones has reclaimed the title of China’s richest woman on the back of her foray into high-end manufacturing.
Zhou Qunfei, 56, founder and chairman of Lens Technology, is worth 127 billion yuan (S$24.4 billion) today. This is up 15% from a year ago, according to the Hurun Richest Women in China 2026 list released on Oct 28.
She overtook Zhong Huijuan, founder of drugmaker Hansoh Pharmaceutical, whose estimated wealth stands at 124 billion yuan, to take the top spot for the second time. Zhou was first crowned China’s richest woman in 2015.
Star Trek and X-Men star Patrick Stewart dies at 86
Patrick Stewart, who rose from poverty in England to become an accomplished Shakespearean stage actor and then achieved global stardom as the erudite Captain Jean-Luc Picard in TV’s Star Trek: The Next Generation and the telepathic Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men movies, has died at the age of 86.
Stewart, knighted in 2010 by Queen Elizabeth II for his contributions to drama, died at his home in Los Angeles, according to a statement on his X account.
“We announce with great sorrow the passing of Sir Patrick Stewart yesterday at his home in Los Angeles, in the loving care of his beloved wife Sunny following a brief and poignant journey with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia,” it said.