While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Sept 29, 2025
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
US House Speaker Mike Johnson (right) called on the Democrats to support a stopgap measure as appropriators continue to hammer out spending Bills.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
Republicans urge Democrats to agree to short-term Bill to keep US government open
Ahead of a meeting between lawmakers and President Donald Trump, the Republican leaders of Congress sought on Sept 28 to blame Democrats for an impasse prior to a looming deadline to pass legislation to avert a government shutdown and urged them to agree to a short-term Bill to buy some time.
Without passage of funding legislation, parts of the government would close on Oct 1, the first day of the US government's 2026 fiscal year.
Republicans control both chambers of Congress, but a temporary measure keeping the government open would have to amass at least 60 votes in the 100-seat Senate, meaning some Democratic votes would be needed.
But so far, Senate Democrats have rejected a short-term Bill, demanding that any legislation undo recent Republican cuts to healthcare programmes.
China calls on North Korea to oppose ‘hegemony’ as foreign ministers meet
PHOTO: AFP
Beijing wants to strengthen cooperation with Pyongyang and work together to oppose hegemony, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his North Korean counterpart on Sept 28, in a thinly veiled reference to the United States.
North Korea’s Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui met Wang in the Chinese capital, weeks after a rare visit by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who sought to develop the countries’ bilateral relations.
“Maintaining, consolidating, and developing China-DPRK relations has always been the unswerving strategic policy of” the Chinese government, Mr Wang told Mr Choe, using the acronym for North Korea.
At least 2 dead, several injured after US shooting, fire at Mormon church
PHOTO: REUTERS
At least two people were killed and several others injured on Sept 28 after a shooter targeted a Mormon church in Michigan, authorities said, in the latest deadly tragedy that US President Donald Trump called part of a national “epidemic of violence.”
The suspect, a 40-year-old man from a nearby town in the northern US state, was shot dead by law enforcement responding to the attack, in which the church was also set ablaze, police said, without specifying any possible motive.
Mr Trump called the shooting “horrendous” and said on his Truth Social platform it “appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States of America.”
Stars turn out for Armani’s final collection in Milan
Hollywood stars Cate Blanchett, Glenn Close and Richard Gere turned out Sept 28 for the Giorgio Armani show in Milan, the final collection the Italian designer worked on before his death.
Originally intended as a celebration of 50 years of Armani’s fashion house, after his death on Sept 4, aged 91, the catwalk show became a tribute to a legend.
It was organised in the Pinacoteca di Brera, the prestigious art gallery where more than 120 of Armani’s creations are on show as part of an anniversary exhibition that opened this week.
Arsenal strike late for ‘beautiful’ Newcastle win, close in on Liverpool
PHOTO: REUTERS
Arsenal produced a dramatic late fightback to win 2-1 at Newcastle on Sept 28 and lay down an early marker in the Premier League title race.
The Gunners were heading for a fourth consecutive defeat at St James’ Park after falling behind to Nick Woltemade’s first-half header.
However, Mikel Merino headed in the equaliser before Gabriel Magalhaes powered in from a 96th-minute corner to lift Arsenal into second and within two points of leaders Liverpool.
