While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Aug 3, 2025
Palestinians returning from an aid distribution point run by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, in the central Gaza Strip, on Aug 2.
Hamas demands independent Palestinian state
Hamas said on Aug 2 that it would not disarm unless an independent Palestinian state is established - a fresh rebuke to a key Israeli demand to end the war in Gaza.
Indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel aimed at securing a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza war and deal for the release of hostages ended last week in deadlock.
On July 29, Qatar and Egypt, who are mediating ceasefire efforts, endorsed a declaration by France and Saudi Arabia outlining steps towards a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and saying that as part of this Hamas must hand over its arms to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.
In its statement, Hamas - which has dominated Gaza since 2007 but has been militarily battered by Israel in the war - said it could not yield its right to 'armed resistance' unless an 'independent, fully sovereign Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital' is established.
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US envoy Steve Witkoff meets Israeli hostage families
US envoy Steve Witkoff met anguished relatives of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza on Aug 2, as fears for the captives' survival mounted almost 22 months into the war sparked by Hamas' October 2023 attack.
Mr Witkoff was greeted with some applause and pleas for assistance from hundreds of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv, before going into a closed meeting with the families.
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The Hostages and Missing Families Forum confirmed the meeting was under way and videos shared online showed Mr Witkoff arriving as families chanted 'Bring them home!' and 'We need your help.'
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Pope tells young Catholics to build a better world
PHOTO: EPA
Hundreds of thousands of young people filled a vast field on the outskirts of Rome on Aug 2 to see Pope Leo, in the largest event yet of the new Catholic pontiff's tenure, as part of a special weekend aimed at energising Catholic youth.
Young people from more than 146 countries, some wearing colourful bandanas to ward off the hot summer sun, were pressed against fences in the Tor Vergata field as Leo toured the crowd in his white popemobile in late afternoon.
The pope, smiling broadly, waved, offered blessings and occasionally caught small stuffed animals and national flags thrown by the youth as he passed by.
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Katie Ledecky claims seventh straight 800m free gold
ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG
Experience proved to be the winning formula at the World Aquatics Championships (WCH) on Aug 2, as American legend Katie Ledecky emerged victorious in the most anticipated race of the meet – the showdown between the veteran and Canadian teenage sensation Summer McIntosh in the 800m freestyle.
Ledecky triumphed for a seventh time in a championship record of 8min 5.62sec at the WCH Arena, touching home ahead of Australia's Lani Pallister – who set an Oceania record in 8:05.98 – and McIntosh, who clocked 8:07.29.
The 28-year-old said: 'That's pretty incredible, three of us going under 8:10... incredibly fast. They pushed me all the way. I'm just really happy I could put that together. I just told myself to trust my legs, because I've gotten a bit better at kicking. Just running home at the end.
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'Useless' Hamilton says Ferrari should replace him
PHOTO: EPA
A despondent Lewis Hamilton said he was 'useless' and suggested Ferrari needed another driver after qualifying 12th for the Hungarian Grand Prix with teammate Charles Leclerc on pole position.
The seven-time Formula One world champion, who is 40 and the second oldest driver on the grid, has an unrivalled record in Hungary with eight wins and nine poles but his Aug 2 performance was far from those heights.
'It's me every time. I'm useless, absolutely useless,' he told Sky Sports television, when explaining why he had said 'every time, every time' over the radio after failing to make the cut by 15 thousandths of a second.
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Straits Times
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Australia lifts foreign student cap to 295,000 and prioritises South-east Asia
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Australia has one of the highest shares of international students globally. SYDNEY - Australia will raise its cap on foreign students by 9 per cent to 295,000 in 2025 and prioritise applicants from South-east Asia, the government said on Aug 4. Limits on places were announced in 2024 as a way to rein in record migration that had contributed to a surge in housing prices, with 270,000 places made available for 2025. An additional 25,000 places were being granted in 2026 as the policy was successfully bringing down 'out of control' international student numbers, the government said. 'This is about making sure international education grows in a way that supports students, universities and the national interest,' Education Minister Jason Clare said in a statement. Australia granted nearly 600,000 student visas in the 2023 financial year, as international students returned to the country in record numbers following Covid-19. Australia's largest cohorts of students come from China and India. As well as introducing the cap on numbers, the government also more than doubled the visa fee for foreign students in 2024 and pledged to close loopholes in rules that allowed them to continuously extend their stay. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng to be sentenced on Aug 15, prosecution does not object to fine due to his poor health Singapore Recap: Ong Beng Seng pleads guilty to abetting obstruction of justice in case linked to Iswaran Singapore All recruits at BMTC will be trained to fly drones and counter them: Chan Chun Sing Singapore Pritam Singh had hoped WP would 'tip one or two more constituencies' at GE Singapore Eu Yan Sang warns of counterfeits of its health supplements being sold online Singapore Electric car-sharing firm BlueSG to wind down current operations on Aug 8 Singapore Woman, 26, hit by car after dashing across street near Orchard Road Singapore Car passenger dies after accident involving bus in Yishun The government's measures to curb migration were 'bearing fruit' and allowed for a modest increase in the cap in 2026, International Education Assistant Minister Julian Hill said. 'The numbers were growing out of control,' Mr Hill told national broadcaster ABC. 'The government has taken tough decisions over the last 12 months, not always loved by the sector, to get the numbers down and get them to a more sustainable footing.' Roughly two-thirds of places will be allocated to universities and one-third to the vocational skills training sector. Larger, public universities would need to demonstrate domestic and international students had "access to safe and secure housing" and recruit more students from South-east Asia to increase their individual allocations, the government said. It was important "for Australia's future soft power that we continue to bring the best and brightest from our (South-east Asian) neighbours to have a bit of Australia with them for the rest of their life", Mr Hill said. Relations with South-east Asia have been a focus of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's Labor government as it looks to reduce Australia's economic dependence on China. Universities Australia welcomed the 'sensible' increase in places. 'Universities have called for growth in this critically important sector, and the government has honoured this,' CEO Luke Sheehy said. Australia has one of the highest shares of international students globally. The sector contributed more than A$51 billion (S$42.58 billion) to the economy in 2024, the country's top services export. REUTERS
Straits Times
a minute ago
- Straits Times
Suspended Thai PM Paetongtarn hopes for fair court ruling in ethics case
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Ms Paetongtarn submitted her defence statement on Aug 4, meeting the deadline set by the Constitutional Court. BANGKOK – Suspended Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is seeking a fair hearing from a court probing allegations of ethical misconduct related to her handling of a border dispute with Cambodia, an official said. As the nation's leader, Ms Paetongtarn's phone conversation with Cambodia's former leader Hun Sen was made in good faith with a sincere intention to promote peace between the two countries, Mr Prommin Lertsuridej, secretary-general to the prime minister, told reporters. Ms Paetongtarn submitted her defence statement on Aug 4, meeting the deadline set by the Constitutional Court, he said. 'At this moment, we believe our intentions were right and will be fairly considered,' Mr Prommin said. In the controversial June phone call with Mr Hun Sen , which was subsequently leaked, Paetongtarn blamed the border stand-off between the two neighbours on the Thai army. The remarks, which she apologised for later, sparked protests in Thailand and calls for her to resign. The court suspended Ms Paetongtarn from her prime ministerial duties on July 1 after receiving a complaint from a group of senators accusing her of violating ethical standards. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng to be sentenced on Aug 15, prosecution does not object to fine due to his poor health Singapore Recap: Ong Beng Seng pleads guilty to abetting obstruction of justice in case linked to Iswaran Singapore All recruits at BMTC will be trained to fly drones and counter them: Chan Chun Sing Singapore Pritam Singh had hoped WP would 'tip one or two more constituencies' at GE Singapore Eu Yan Sang warns of counterfeits of its health supplements being sold online Singapore Electric car-sharing firm BlueSG to wind down current operations on Aug 8 Singapore Woman, 26, hit by car after dashing across street near Orchard Road Singapore Car passenger dies after accident involving bus in Yishun She could be disqualified and removed from office permanently if the court finds her guilty. A further escalation in the border dispute after Ms Paetongtarn's suspension erupted into the biggest armed conflict between the two countries in decades. The fighting, which killed more than 40 people and displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians on both the sides, stopped following a ceasefire agreement , mediated by Malaysia as the chair of the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) and a push by US President Donald Trump. Ms Paetongtarn, the youngest daughter of billionaire and former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, came to power in August 2024 after her predecessor, Mr Srettha Thavisin, was ousted in a similar ethics-related case over an appointment of a Cabinet minister. She has remained in the Cabinet as the Culture Minister, while one of her deputies Phumtham Wechayachai stepped in as the acting prime minister. Ms Paetongtarn's ruling coalition now has a slim parliamentary majority after the second-largest party in the bloc defected to the opposition following the furore over her phone controversy. BLOOMBERG
Straits Times
a minute ago
- Straits Times
Pritam Singh had hoped WP would ‘tip one or two more constituencies' at GE
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox SINGAPORE – The Workers' Party was hoping to win one or two new constituencies at the May general election, and had come close, though it was not enough to succeed, said party chief Pritam Singh on Aug 4. 'It was a difficult election for us. As a small political party, obviously, elections are going to be difficult, but we did our best,' he said, speaking on The Big Show on Kiss92 FM. The WP fielded 26 candidates, including 14 new faces , at the general election. In the end, the party won 10 seats to entrench its incumbent positions in Aljunied GRC, Sengkang GRC and Hougang SMC, but failed to make inroads in the new constituencies it contested including Punggol GRC, Tampines GRC and Tampines Changkat SMC. Asked by DJs Glenn Ong and Angelique Teo about the electoral showing, Mr Singh said that he had hoped the party would 'tip one or two more constituencies'. '(We) came close, not close enough. But that just tells you there's still work to do. So we go at it again,' he added, speaking in what he said was his first radio interview. The WP had drawn flak from other opposition parties for not contesting Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC , where the party had covered the ground, leading to an unexpected walkover win for the PAP on Nomination Day. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Ong Beng Seng to be sentenced on Aug 15, prosecution does not object to fine due to his poor health Singapore Recap: Ong Beng Seng pleads guilty to abetting obstruction of justice in case linked to Iswaran Singapore All recruits at BMTC will be trained to fly drones and counter them: Chan Chun Sing Singapore Eu Yan Sang warns of counterfeits of its health supplements being sold online Singapore Electric car-sharing firm BlueSG to wind down current operations on Aug 8 Singapore Woman, 26, hit by car after dashing across street near Orchard Road Singapore Car passenger dies after accident involving bus in Yishun Mr Singh, who is Leader of the Opposition, said on the radio show that the party had decided to change its strategy after studying the boundary changes by the Electoral Boundaries Review Committee. WP had contested in Marine Parade GRC in the 2015 and 2020 general elections, getting 35.93 per cent and 42.26 per cent of the vote share respectively. In the most recent election, the constituency had absorbed MacPherson SMC and an adjacent polling district from Mountbatten SMC , and also ceded the Chai Chee and Joo Chiat areas to East Coast GRC. Asked about how boundary changes impacted his party's strategy, Mr Singh said: 'Before the elections, you have the boundary review committee which always sort of resets the playing board, and of course when the playing board is reset, you've got to reset your strategy.' He added that the party was looking at the electoral map not just for one election, but for the future as well, and decided it had to 'pivot'. 'Ultimately, you've got only that many cards in your hands, only that many candidates who are prepared to fly the flag, and we decided that the strategy for the party was important. 'But we still hang around a lot in the Marine Parade area. Generally we are more familiar with the eastern part of Singapore.' Mr Singh also spoke about his party's candidates at the recent general election, saying that he thought they did incredibly well, though he did not name names. He said that he was encouraged by the number of people who were prepared to step up to volunteer with the party and to contest the election under its banner. 'The value proposition we're providing you is a very difficult journey. It speaks of these candidates who have chosen to enter the ring... It speaks a lot for themselves and their character,' he said. He added that an important trait for opposition candidates is someone who is prepared to work hard, 'because you don't really have much wind behind you to push you forward, you've got to create that wind through your own energy and own effort'. Mr Singh also touched on topics ranging from his favourite sport to his favourite band, and what his childhood was like. He likes football, though he does not play frequently any more and often regrets it after a kick-around because of the muscle aches; he likes Irish rock band U2, and had a carefree childhood where his parents allowed him to do what he wanted. He also took pre-recorded questions from eight young Singaporeans ranging from four to 11 years of age. One of them asked him if politics in Singapore is fair, and if all parties play by the same rules. To this, Mr Singh said: 'I think we should always endeavour to develop and nourish a system where the rules are the same for everyone. 'I'd like to think that that's the road we're on, and we should remain on that road.'
