While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Sept 28, 2026

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Armed police officers work on a road outside the perimeter of the RAF Fairford airbase, after police declared a major incident at the base in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain.

Armed police officers work on a road outside the perimeter of the RAF Fairford airbase, after police declared a major incident at the base in Fairford, Gloucestershire, Britain.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Donald Trump says men arrested at US air base in UK were looking to do ‘big damage’

US President Donald Trump said the five men arrested by British police near a US air base had been looking to do “big damage” and had been under investigation by both the authorities of both countries.

British police had nabbed them on Sept 27 on suspicion of explosive and terrorism offences after a tip-off that three vans had been heading to the military airfield which has been used to strike Iran.

British counter-terrorism detectives leading the investigation said police had received a call about three suspicious vehicles which appeared to be travelling towards RAF Fairford in the west of England in the early hours of Sept 27.

Five men were arrested by armed officers and later held on suspicion of preparation of a terrorist act. Police, who said they believed the incident was now contained, have not yet publicly stated who they assessed was involved.

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South Korea demands apology from Ukraine over disclosure of North Korean PoW transfer

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaking at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, on Sept 23.

PHOTO: EPA

South Korea’s presidential office demanded an official explanation and apology from Ukraine, accusing Kyiv of disclosing the transfer of two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea and then falsely denying that the two sides had agreed to keep the move confidential.

“The presidential office expresses strong regret over Ukraine’s unilateral disclosure and its subsequent false announcement that there had not been a non-disclosure agreement,” Seong Ghi-hong, senior presidential secretary for public relations, said in a statement released on Sept 27.

He said the government was reviewing additional measures over the issue if necessary.

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Israel revokes diplomatic status of Dutch diplomats in Ramallah

Graffiti reading “no future” in Arabic is depicted on a concrete block at the closed vehicle barrier of the Ein Sinya checkpoint at the northern entrance of Ramallah in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Sept 27, 2026.

PHOTO: AFP

Israel said on Sept 27 it was revoking the diplomatic status of Dutch diplomats who represent the Netherlands at the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority, in response to Dutch sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Israel earlier in September ordered the closure of the British Consulate in East Jerusalem, which is Britain’s representative with the Palestinian Authority, after London announced similar sanctions banning the import of goods from settlements.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on X that Dutch diplomats operating in Ramallah must return their Israeli-issued diplomatic documentation within seven days, when their diplomatic privileges and immunities are due to expire.

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Swiss voters reject tighter neutrality rules that would have curbed NATO cooperation

A campaign poster reading “No war, Yes to Swiss neutrality” in Epagny, near Fribourg, Switzerland, on Sept 25.

PHOTO: EPA

Swiss voters on Sept 27 firmly rejected a proposal to adopt a more restrictive form of neutrality that would have blocked their ​country from imposing economic sanctions or cooperating with NATO.

All cantons and about 70 per cent of voters rejected the proposal for a strictly defined version of neutrality to be written into the Swiss constitution, final results from the Federal Statistical Office showed.

“This result is not a vote against neutrality. Switzerland was neutral yesterday, it is neutral today, and it will remain neutral in the future,” Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis said at a press conference following the outcome.

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Greece stun Germany 1-0 in losing home debut for Jurgen Klopp

Germany coach Jurgen Klopp reacts after the Nations League Group A2 match, where his team lost 1-0 to Greece in Augsburg, Germany.

PHOTO: REUTERS

Greece scored a 74th-minute goal through Dimitris Kourbelis to stun hosts Germany 1-0 in their Nations League Group A2 on Sept 27 to top the group and spoil coach Jurgen Klopp’s home debut on the German bench.

It was the first-ever victory for the Greeks in 11 matches against the Germans, and they now lead their group on six points from two matches. Germany are on one point.

The hosts were in control for most of the game and had close to 80 per cent possession in the first half alone but they were ultimately punished for sloppy defending, especially in the second half, which gave the Greeks space to attack.

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