While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Sept 30

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Trump-Putin phone calls in US Democrats' sights

Congress is determined to get access to US President Donald Trump's calls with Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Adam Schiff said on Sunday, citing concerns the Republican leader may have jeopardised national security.
Following a whistleblower complaint that Trump solicited a political favour from Ukraine's president that could help him get re-elected, the lawmakers are investigating concerns Trump's actions jeopardised national security and the integrity of US elections.
The whistleblower's complaint cited a telephone call in which Trump asked President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to launch an investigation of former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. Hunter Biden sat on the board of a Ukrainian gas company.
The July 25 phone call came shortly after the United States froze nearly US$400 million (S$552 million) in aid to Ukraine, prompting concern that Trump was using the taxpayer money already approved by Congress as leverage for his personal political gain.

Kurz's conservatives win Austrian election, still need coalition partner

Austrian conservative leader Sebastian Kurz triumphed in Sunday's parliamentary election, as widely expected, but he will need a coalition partner to form a stable government and the vote left him several options across the political spectrum.
The election followed the collapse in May of Kurz's coalition with the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) after a video sting scandal that forced FPO Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache to step down.
Kurz, 33, has been largely unscathed by the scandal, even gaining voters from the FPO as its support has slipped to roughly a fifth of the electorate from a little more than a quarter in the last vote in 2017.

Elon Musk unveils new Mars rocket prototype, expects missions in months

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has unveiled the latest iteration of his space company's newly assembled Starship, outlining a speedy development timeline for the centerpiece vehicle of SpaceX's quest to launch humans to the moon and Mars.
Musk showed a crowd of space enthusiasts and reporters at SpaceX's rocket development site late on Saturday in the remote village of Boca Chica, Texas, animations of Starship landing on the moon and Mars.
He also predicted that the rocket's first orbital flight could come in the next six months, followed by missions to space with humans aboard the next year.

Singer Denise Ho attacked with paint at pro-Hong Kong democracy rally in Taiwan

Hong Kong singer and activist Denise Ho was attacked on Sunday by a masked man who threw red paint at her at a rally in Taiwan held in support of anti-government protests in Hong Kong.
Ho, who earlier this month urged members of the US Congress to pass legislation to combat human rights abuses in Hong Kong, was talking to reporters at the Taipei rally when the man ran up to her and poured red paint over her head.
Two Taiwanese men were arrested immediately after the attack, the island's Crime Investigation Bureau said, adding that the pair were linked to an organised crime group which supports closer ties between self-ruled Taiwan and China.

Jamaica's Fraser-Pryce blazes to history with fourth women's 100 metres world title

Jamaican sprint legend Shelly-Ann Fraser- Pryce won her fourth women's 100 metres world title in Doha on Sunday in stunning style.
The 32-year-old - also a two-time Olympic champion - coasted to an impressive victory in a world leading time for the year of 10.71 seconds.
Fraser- Pryce will now bid to become the first woman to achieve a second world sprint double in the 200m having pulled that off in Moscow in 2013.