While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Sept 13, 2026
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Ukrainian rescuers working at the site of a Russian air strike on a residential building in Odesa, southern Ukraine, on Sept 12.
PHOTO: EPA
Ukraine preparing for war-ending talks to resume in October
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff was quoted as saying on Sept 12 that Kyiv was preparing for the resumption in October of three-sided talks aimed at resolving the more than four-and-a-half-year-old war with Russia.
Kyrylo Budanov, quoted by Ukrainian media, told reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Kyiv that Ukraine was readying itself for the prospect of new talks involving Russia and the United States.
“We are getting ready. In October,” Budanov was quoted as saying.
Budanov was speaking several days after US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner held talks in both Moscow and Kyiv.
Iran got China satellite images before deadly US strike: WSJ
PHOTO: REUTERS
Chinese entities supplied Iran with satellite images of a base in Jordan before and after an attack that killed three US soldiers, the Wall Street Journal reported – an incident that could deepen tensions between Washington and Beijing.
On July 17, Iran launched missile strikes on the Muwaffaq Salti Air Base in Jordan, which houses US forces.
Three US Army soldiers were killed.
Tens of thousands protest against far-right AfD in Germany
PHOTO: AFP
Tens of thousands of protesters took part in demonstrations across Germany on Sept 12 against the far-right AfD, after the party scored a crushing victory in a state election last week.
The Alternative for Germany (AfD) topped the vote in the eastern region of Saxony-Anhalt, and is now seeking to form the first extreme-right state government in Germany since World War II.
About 150,000 demonstrators took to the streets in around 20 cities nationwide, including Berlin, Hamburg and Munich, in protests that were called by Pruef, which advocates for a ban on the AfD, organisers said.
OpenAI IPO will not happen in 2026 amid AI safety fears
PHOTO: AFP
OpenAI will not go public in 2026, chief executive officer Sam Altman said in a Fortune interview published on Sept 12, citing safety concerns over artificial intelligence.
“I actually think that, given everything happening with safety, right now would be an ill-advised moment to go public, and we don’t feel pressure on that,” Altman told Fortune.
Growing numbers of US lawmakers are calling for new rules to govern AI systems after dire warnings from two researchers from OpenAI rival Anthropic that rapidly progressing artificial intelligence could lead to the extinction of the human race in the not-too-distant future.
Celine Dion makes long-awaited, emotional return to stage
Celine Dion on Sept 12 fulfilled her dream of returning to the stage after years battling a rare neurological disorder with a sell-out concert in an arena west of Paris.
The 58-year-old French-Canadian singer appeared visibly moved as she opened her first full concert in six years with her 1990s French-language ballad “On ne change pas” (One Doesn’t Change), singing to a crowd of around 30,000 people.
She paused briefly overcome by emotion, before enthralled fans chanted her name at the end of the opening number.