While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Sept 15, 2025
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(From left) Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee visit the Western Wall in the old city of Jerusalem on Sept 14, 2025.
PHOTO: AFP
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Netanyahu says ties with US ‘never been stronger’ as Rubio visits Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sept 14 that a visit to Israel by top US diplomat Marco Rubio underscored the strength of ties between the allies, days after an unprecedented Israeli strike targeting Hamas leaders in Qatar drew broad criticism.
The attack on the US ally and key mediator in Gaza truce talks has prompted Arab and Muslim leaders to gather for a show of solidarity in Doha, where Qatar’s prime minister urged the world to reject “double standards” and hold Israel to account.
US leader Donald Trump has rebuked Israel over Sept 9 strike, and Mr Rubio acknowledged to reporters before departing Washington that the president was “not happy” about it, but he insisted the attack would not “change the nature of our relationship with the Israelis”.
Nevertheless, the strike has put renewed strain on efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, and Mr Rubio allowed that the United States and Israel were “going to have to talk about” its impact.
Syndicates hiring young people in Johor to smuggle vapes into Singapore
ST PHOTO: HARITH MUSTAFFA
The two young men from Johor Bahru were broke, so when an acquaintance offered them RM1,000 (S$305) to transport boxes of “betel leaves” using a rental car to Singapore, they agreed.
The men, who are in their early 20s, made one successful run at midnight. But they were stopped at Woodlands Checkpoint on their second run hours later.
Officers from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) found more than 300 packs of vapes and related items in the boxes, not betel leaves.
Support for far-right triples in western German vote, early forecasts show
PHOTO: REUTERS
Support for Germany's far right surged in local elections in the country's most populous state on Sept 14, sending a warning to conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz's four-month-old national coalition with the Social Democrats, early projections showed.
Initial forecasts from pollster infratest dimap for broadcaster ARD after voting ended for councils, districts and mayors in the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia showed support for the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party had more than tripled to 16.5 per cent from 2020.
Mr Merz's conservatives remained the strongest party, scoring 34 per cent of the vote, roughly the same level as five years ago. The Social Democrats (SPD) slipped to 22.5 per cent from 24.3 per cent, according to infratest dimap.
Kirk murder suspect held ‘leftist ideology,’ says Utah governor
PHOTO: AFP
Utah’s governor Spencer Cox on Sept 14 provided new information about the background and political leanings of the 22-year-old accused of killing Charlie Kirk, saying that the suspect had a “leftist ideology” and had also been in a romantic relationship with a partner who was in the process of transitioning from male to female.
Mr Cox, speaking on NBC’s Meet the Press, described the suspect, Tyler Robinson, as a “very normal young man” who appeared to have been “radicalised” some time after he dropped out of college and moved back to his hometown in southern Utah, where he had spent the past few years.
Mr Cox did not go into specifics about Robinson’s ideological views or offer a clear picture of them. Mr Cox said Robinson had spent much of his time immersed in online gaming, message boards and parts of what the governor called the “deep, dark internet.”
Vingegaard secures Vuelta a Espana title as race stopped by anti-Israel protests
PHOTO: EPA
Denmark’s Jonas Vingegaard won the Vuelta a Espana on Sept 14 but was denied crossing the line in triumph as the 21st and final stage of the trouble-hit three-week race was abandoned when pro-Palestinian protesters blocked the finish in Madrid.
“It’s a pity that such a moment of eternity was taken from us. I’m really disappointed about that,” said Vingegaard, who celebrated in his team car rather than the podium.
The Visma-Lease a Bike rider effectively wrapped up victory in the year’s last Grand Tour victory after winning Sept 13’s mountain stage to stretch his lead over Portugal’s Joao Almeida to one minute and 16 seconds.
