While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 30, 2025
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's comments gave rise to speculation that progress may be made to end the Gaza conflict. PHOTO: REUTERS
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 30, 2025
Netanyahu sees Iran outcome opening door to Gaza hostage return
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on June 29 the 12-day war with Iran had created opportunities for Israel, and the first was the return of hostages held in Gaza by Palestinian militants who attacked Israel on Oct 7, 2023.
His remarks, coupled with the Jerusalem District Court's postponement of his testimony this week in his long-running corruption trial, gave rise to speculation that progress may be made to end the Gaza conflict and secure the hostages' release.
The court accepted on June 29 Mr Netanyahu's request for the delay, citing classified diplomatic and security grounds. US President Donald Trump had suggested on June 28 the trial could interfere with the Israeli leader's ability to negotiate.
Israel's military Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said on June 27 the war in Iran, which ended on June 24, could help advance Israeli objectives against the Iranian-backed Hamas group in the Gaza Strip.
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Ukraine F-16 pilot killed in large-scale Russian attack, Zelensky calls for US help
A Ukrainian F-16 fighter pilot died in a crash while repelling a Russian air attack that involved hundreds of drones, cruise and ballistic missiles, authorities said on June 29, as Moscow intensifies night-time air barrages in the fourth year of war.
President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the pilot, Maksym Ustymenko, and bestowed upon him posthumously the title of Hero of Ukraine, the country's highest decoration.
He also called for more support from Washington and Western allies to bolster Ukraine's air defences after the attack, which damaged homes and infrastructure across the country and injured at least 12 people, according to local authorities.
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Trump says he has group of 'very wealthy people' to buy TikTok
President Donald Trump said on June 29 a group of buyers had been found for TikTok, which faces a looming ban in the United States due to its China ties, adding he could name the purchasers in two weeks.
'We have a buyer for TikTok, by the way,' Mr Trump said in an interview on Fox's Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo.
'Very wealthy people. It's a group of wealthy people,' the president said, without revealing more except to say he would make their identities known 'in about two weeks.'
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Indian official says political 'constraints' led to jet losses
India's political leadership didn't permit strikes on Pakistani military bases at the start of hostilities between the two countries in May, allowing Islamabad to shoot down its fighter jets, according to a military official.
'I do agree we did lose some aircraft. That happened only because of the constraints given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishment or their air defence,' India's military attachė to Indonesia, Shiv Kumar, said at a seminar on the India-Pakistan conflict at the Universitas Dirgantara Marsekal Suryadarma in Jakarta.
The worst clash between the nuclear-armed neighbours in half a century erupted May 7, with both sides trading air, drone and missile strikes, as well as artillery and small-arms fire along their shared border.
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S'pore golfer Shannon Tan claims second Ladies European Tour title with German Masters victory
Moments after sinking the putt that sealed her second Ladies European Tour (LET) title, Singaporean golfer Shannon Tan remained composed, her expression stoic as she showed little emotion, before her fellow players rushed over and doused her in champagne.
The 21-year-old had just held on for a dramatic one-shot victory at the Amundi German Masters on June 29, closing with a three-over 76 for a nine-under 283 total at Green Eagle Golf Courses' North Course in Winsen (Luhe).
German Helen Briem (73) ended a stroke behind at the €300,000 (S$446,780) event, while New Zealand's Amelia Garvey (72) was two shots back in third.
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Jordan refuses to play Israel over Gaza war, forfeits match
FILE PHOTO: A burning building in Gaza is seen from Israel, June 29, 2025. REUTERS/Amir Cohen/File Photo Jordan refused to play Israel at the FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup in Switzerland on Sunday in protest at the Gaza war, Jordanian media reported, and the international basketball federation said the game would be forfeited in favour of Israel. The official Jordan News Agency said the local basketball federation "sent an official request to the International Federation (FIBA) not to play the match in line with its principles and steadfast positions in such circumstances." The Jordanian federation did not reveal any further details, but Jordanian newspaper Ad-Dustour said the decision was due to the war on Gaza. Amos Frishman, president of the Israeli Basketball Federation, expressed regret at Jordan's decision. "I strongly believe that sport is a bridge between people and cultures and not a political arena," he was quoted by local media as saying. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
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Russia, asked about defence spending, says it is NATO spending that risks collapse of alliance
FILE PHOTO: Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov speaks during a joint press conference with Laos's Minister of Foreign Affairs Thongsavanh Phomvihane following their meeting in Moscow, Russia June 26, 2025. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Pool via REUTERS/File photo Russia, asked about defence spending, says it is NATO spending that risks collapse of alliance MOSCOW - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that Moscow planned to cut its defence spending, but that he thought a decision by NATO members to increase their own defence spending could ultimately lead to the alliance's collapse. NATO leaders on Wednesday backed a big increase in defence spending that U.S. President Donald Trump had demanded, and said they were united in their resolve to defend each other against what they cast as a threat from Russia. Asked about remarks by Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, who was reported to have said that an arms race between Russia and the West could trigger the fall of President Vladimir Putin, Lavrov said he thought NATO could collapse. "Since he is such a predictor, he probably foresees that a catastrophic increase in the budget of NATO countries, according to my estimates, will also lead to the collapse of this organisation," Lavrov said. Russia, which launched a full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022 after eight years of fighting in eastern Ukraine, dismisses Western claims that it will one day attack a NATO member, a step both Russia and the United States say could trigger World War Three. Putin said on Friday that Russia was looking to cut its military expenditure from next year. Russia hiked state spending on national defence by a quarter in 2025 to 6.3% of gross domestic product (GDP), the highest level since the Cold War. Defence spending accounts for 32% of total 2025 federal budget expenditure. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
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Explainer-How will the Dalai Lama's successor be chosen?
FILE PHOTO: Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, offers blessings to his followers at his Himalayan residence in the northern hill town of Dharamshala, India, December 20, 2024. REUTERS/Priyanshu Singh/File Photo DHARAMSHALA, India, - The choice of a successor to the Dalai Lama, the spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhists, is a matter of riveting interest not only for followers of his religion, but also China, India, and the United States, for strategic reasons. The Nobel peace laureate, who turns 90 on Sunday, is regarded as one of the world's most influential figures, with a following extending well beyond Buddhism. HOW WAS HE CHOSEN? Tibetan tradition holds that the soul of a senior Buddhist monk is reincarnated after his death. The 14th Dalai Lama, born as Lhamo Dhondup on July 6, 1935, to a farming family in what is now Qinghai province, was identified as such a reincarnation when he was just two years old. A search party sent by the Tibetan government made the decision on the basis of several signs, such as a vision revealed to a senior monk, the Dalai Lama's website says. The searchers were convinced when the toddler identified belongings of the 13th Dalai Lama with the phrase, "It's mine, it's mine". In the winter of 1940, Lhamo Thondup was taken to the Potala Palace in Lhasa, the capital of today's Tibet Autonomous Region, and officially installed as the spiritual leader of Tibetans. HOW WILL HIS SUCCESSOR BE CHOSEN? In his book "Voice for the Voiceless", released in March 2025, the Dalai Lama said his successor would be born outside China. The Dalai Lama has lived in exile in northern India since 1959, after fleeing a failed uprising against the rule of Mao Zedong's Communists. He wrote that he would release details about his succession around the time of his 90th birthday. On Monday, addressing a gathering in Dharamshala, he said: "There will be some kind of a framework within which we can talk about the continuation of the institution of the Dalai Lamas". He did not elaborate. The Tibetan parliament-in-exile, based in the Himalayan town of Dharamshala, like the Dalai Lama, says a system has been established for the exiled government to continue its work while officers of the Gaden Phodrang Foundation will be charged with finding and recognising his successor. The current Dalai Lama set up the foundation in 2015 to "maintain and support the tradition and institution of the Dalai Lama" with regard to his religious and spiritual duties, it says on its website. Its senior officers include several of his aides. WHAT DOES CHINA SAY? China says its leaders have the right to approve the Dalai Lama's successor, as a legacy from imperial times. A selection ritual, in which the names of possible reincarnations are drawn from a golden urn, dates to 1793, during the Qing dynasty. Chinese officials have repeatedly said the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama should be decided by following national laws that decree use of the golden urn and the birth of reincarnations within China's borders. But many Tibetans suspect any Chinese role in the selection as being a ploy to exert influence on the community. It is inappropriate for Chinese Communists, who reject religion, "to meddle in the system of reincarnation of lamas, let alone that of the Dalai Lama," the Buddhist leader has said. In his book, he asked Tibetans not to accept "a candidate chosen for political ends by anyone, including those in the People's Republic of China," referring to the country by its official name. Beijing brands the Dalai Lama, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for keeping alive the Tibetan cause, as a "separatist" and prohibits displays of his picture or any public show of devotion towards him. In March 2025, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said the Dalai Lama was a political exile with "no right to represent the Tibetan people at all". China denies suppressing the rights of the Tibetan people, and says its rule ended serfdom in, and brought prosperity to, a backward region. WHAT ROLE COULD INDIA AND THE U.S. PLAY? Apart from the Dalai Lama, India is estimated to be home to more than 100,000 Tibetan Buddhists who are free to study and work there. Many Indians revere him, and international relations experts say his presence in India gives New Delhi some kind of leverage with rival China. The United States, which faces rising competition from China for global dominance, has repeatedly said it is committed to advancing the human rights of Tibetans. U.S. lawmakers have previously said they would not allow China to influence the choice of the Dalai Lama's successor. In 2024, then U.S. President Joe Biden signed a law that presses Beijing to resolve a dispute over Tibet's demands for greater autonomy. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
