While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Oct 6, 2025
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A displaced Palestinian child stands in front of tents used as temporary in the Bureij refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on Oct 5.
PHOTO: AFP
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Hamas readies for Gaza talks that US hopes will halt war, free hostages
Hamas officials arrived in Egypt on Oct 5 ahead of talks with Israel that the US hopes will lead to a halt in fighting and the freeing of hostages in Gaza, with Washington’s top diplomat saying the next days are critical.
Israeli negotiators led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer will travel to Egypt on Oct 6 for negotiations in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh about the release of hostages, part of President Donald Trump’s plan to end the nearly two-year Gaza war.
“We will know very quickly whether Hamas is serious or not by how these technical talks go in terms of the logistics,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told NBC News’ Meet the Press on Oct 5 about the release of 48 remaining hostages in Gaza, 20 of whom are alive.
A Hamas delegation, led by the group’s exiled Gaza chief, Khalil Al-Hayya, landed in Egypt late Oct 5 to join representatives of the United States and Qatar for talks over the implementation of the most advanced effort yet to halt the conflict. It was the first visit by Mr Hayya to Egypt since he survived an Israeli strike in Doha, the Qatari capital, in September.
Trump administration declares US cities war zones
PHOTO: AFP
The Trump administration branded Chicago a “war zone” on Oct 5 as a justification for deploying soldiers against the will of local Democratic officials, while a judge blocked the White House from sending troops to another Democratic-run city.
An escalating political crisis across the country pits President Donald Trump’s anti-crime and migration crackdown against opposition Democrats who accuse him of an authoritarian power grab.
In the newest flashpoint, Mr Trump late on Oct 4 authorised deployment of 300 National Guard soldiers to Chicago, the third-largest city in the United States, despite the opposition of elected leaders including the mayor and state Governor JB Pritzker.
Russian strikes kill five, damage energy infrastructure in Ukraine
PHOTO: EPA
Russian strikes on Oct 5 on Ukraine killed five people and badly damaged energy infrastructure, temporarily severing power supplies to tens of thousands and prompting neighbouring Poland put ground defence on high alert.
“Russia is openly trying to destroy our civilian infrastructure right now, ahead of winter – our gas infrastructure, our power generation and transmission,” Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address.
He blasted what he called “zero real reaction from the world” and urged for more sanctions against Russia.
British police probe fire at mosque as ‘hate crime’
PHOTO: BRIGHTONSNAPPER/X
Police said on Oct 5 they were investigating a suspected arson at a mosque in southern England as a “hate crime”, days after a fatal attack on a synagogue.
Officers were called to the incident at the mosque in the southern coast town of Peacehaven late on Oct 4.
While no one was injured, the blaze caused damage to the mosque’s front entrance and a vehicle parked outside.
Hundreds of trekkers escape from blizzard-struck Everest
PHOTO: REUTERS
Hundreds of trekkers stranded by a blizzard near the eastern face of Mount Everest in Tibet had been guided to safety by rescuers, Chinese state media reported on Oct 5, as unusually heavy snow and rainfall pummelled the Himalayas.
As of Oct 5, 350 trekkers had reached the small township of Qudang, while contact with the remaining 200-plus trekkers had been made, CCTV reported.
Visitors to the remote valley of Karma, which leads to the eastern Kangshung face of Everest, were in the hundreds this week, taking advantage of an eight-day National Day holiday in China.
