While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Sept 21
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People gather in front of a building targeted by an Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburbs, on Sept 20.
PHOTO: AFP
Top Hezbollah commander among 14 killed in Israeli strike
Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander and other senior figures in the Lebanese movement in an airstrike on Beirut on Sept 20, vowing to press on with a new military campaign until it is able to secure the area around the Lebanese border.
The Israeli military and a security source in Lebanon said Ibrahim Aqil had been killed along with other senior members of an elite Hezbollah unit in the airstrike, sharply escalating the year-long conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed group.
Lebanon’s health ministry said at least 14 people died and the toll was expected to climb as rescue teams worked through the night. It was not immediately known whether the toll included Aqil and the other senior Hezbollah commanders.
Earlier, the military said at least 66 people were injured, nine of whom were in critical condition.
Ukraine sees need for rapid, domestic weapons production
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sept 20 that senior Ukrainian officials agreed in an “emotional” discussion that the country needs to make more weaponry domestically and speed up production.
Mr Zelensky said munitions production was the focus of a meeting with senior officials, including his defence and foreign ministers and top military commanders.
“We discussed the issue of drone production and providing drones to all elements of the defence and security forces in great detail, even emotionally,” he said, in his nightly video address.
Harris says she is trying to get a second debate with Trump
US Democratic candidate Kamala Harris is trying to get a second opportunity to debate her Republican challenger Donald Trump in this year’s presidential race, she said on Sept 20.
“I’m trying to get another debate. We’ll see,” Ms Harris, the US vice-president, said in front of about 600 people at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta.
Ms Harris and Trump debated each other for the first time on Sept 10, in a contest that polls showed was won by the Democratic nominee.
UK PM won’t accept any more donations for clothes
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will not accept any more donations to pay for his clothing, a Downing Street source said on Sept 20, following widespread media criticism over thousands of pounds of gifts he has received.
Mr Starmer, who came to power in July, has come under fire in September after it was reported he had accepted donations from a wealthy Labour donor to pay for his work clothing and spectacles, as well as high-end clothes and shopping services for his wife.
Earlier this week Sky News said he had declared more than £100,000 (S$170,000) in gifts, benefits and hospitality since December 2019, more than any other member of parliament.
F1 star Max Verstappen punished over bad word
Formula One points leader Max Verstappen was ordered to “accomplish some work of public interest” after uttering an inappropriate word on Sept 19 at the news conference ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.
The punishment was handed down by the FIA - the governing body of F1 - after stewards reviewed the audio tape and found the word he used to describe his car as offensive and in violation of FIA policies.
The public-interest work he must perform was not specified.
