While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 26, 2025
US President Donald Trump speaking during a press briefing at the Nato summit on June 25, in the Netherlands. PHOTO: REUTERS
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, June 26, 2025
Trump says Russia's Putin 'has to end' the war
US President Donald Trump indicated on June 25 he will consider providing more of the Patriot missiles that Ukraine needs to defend against mounting Russian strikes, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin 'really has to end that war'.
His remarks came after a 50-minute meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the sidelines of a Nato summit in The Hague.
Both leaders described it as a positive step in a conflict that Mr Trump described as 'more difficult than other wars'.
During a press conference in which he celebrated his own diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, Mr Trump said the Patriots were 'very hard to get' but that 'we are going to see if we can make some of them available'.
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Trump teases Iran talks next week
President Donald Trump said on June 25 that the United States would hold nuclear talks with Iran next week, teasing the possibility of a deal even after boasting that recent US strikes had crippled the Islamic republic's atomic programme.
Mr Trump - speaking during a Nato summit in the Netherlands - credited the unprecedented US attacks with the 'total obliteration' of Iran's nuclear capabilities, and said they had set the country's programme back 'decades'.
But leaked US intelligence cast doubt on that assessment, saying the strikes had likely delayed Tehran by just a few months.
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New York mayoral vote floors Democratic establishment
Zohran Mamdani's victory in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary is a seismic wake-up call for a party establishment out of step with younger Americans and failing to counter Donald Trump, analysts say.
The little-known state legislator, a proud 'democratic socialist,' is now favourite to win November's election and become a major voice in the battle between progressives and the establishment wing for the party's soul.
Mr Mamdani, just 33, was at a lowly 1 per cent in the polls in February, but saw off three-term former New York governor Andrew Cuomo with a populist campaign that has Democrats nationwide taking notice ahead of next year's midterm elections.
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Jeff Bezos and fiancee arrive in Venice for lavish wedding
Amazon's billionaire founder Jeff Bezos and his fiancee Lauren Sanchez arrived in Venice on June 25 ahead of their wedding, an event that has sparked protests in the Italian city.
Mr Bezos, the world's fourth-richest person, and his former television anchor bride-to-be were seen stepping off a water taxi at the Aman Hotel on the Grand Canal.
The couple's three-day nuptials are due to start on June 26, and the wedding ceremony is to be held at a secret location.
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For first time, Webb telescope discovers an alien planet
In addition to providing a trove of information about the early universe, the James Webb Space Telescope since its 2021 launch has obtained valuable data on various already-known planets beyond our solar system, called exoplanets.
Now, for the first time, Webb has discovered an exoplanet not previously known.
Webb has directly imaged a young gas giant planet roughly the size of Saturn, our solar system's second-largest planet, orbiting a star smaller than the sun located about 110 light years from Earth in the constellation Antlia, researchers said.
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Straits Times
11 minutes ago
- Straits Times
China hosts Iranian, Russian defence ministers against backdrop of ‘momentous change'
Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun and his counterparts pose for a group photo before the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Defence Ministers' Meeting in Qingdao on June 26. PHOTO: REUTERS QINGDAO, China - China hosted defence ministers from Iran and Russia for a meeting in its eastern seaside city of Qingdao on June 26 against the backdrop of war in the Middle East and a summit of Nato countries in Europe that agreed to boost military spending. Beijing has long sought to present the 10-member Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as a counterweight to Western-led power blocs and has pushed to strengthen collaboration between its member countries in politics, security, trade and science. The Qingdao meeting of the organisation's top defence officials comes as a fledgling ceasefire between Israel and Iran holds after 12 days of fighting between the arch-foes. It is also being held the day after a summit of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (Nato) leaders in The Hague, where members agreed to ramp up their defence spending to satisfy US President Donald Trump. Chinese Defence Minister Dong Jun framed the June 26 meeting of officials in Qingdao, home to a major Chinese naval base, as a counterweight to a world in 'chaos and instability'. 'As momentous changes of the century accelerate, unilateralism and protectionism are on the rise,' Mr Dong said as he welcomed defence chiefs from Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Belarus and elsewhere on June 25 , according to state news agency Xinhua. 'Hegemonic, domineering and bullying acts severely undermine the international order,' he warned. He urged his counterparts to 'take more robust actions to jointly safeguard the environment for peaceful development'. Meeting Mr Dong on the sidelines of the summit, Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov hailed ties between the two countries as being 'at an unprecedentedly high level'. 'Friendly relations between our countries maintain upward dynamics of development in all directions,' he said. China has portrayed itself as a neutral party in Russia's war with Ukraine, although Western governments say its close ties have given Moscow crucial economic and diplomatic support. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
CNA
14 minutes ago
- CNA
US hits back at accounts Iran moved uranium
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's administration hit back on Wednesday (Jun 25) at accounts Iran may have moved enriched uranium before US bombing, as a row grew on how much the strikes set back Tehran's nuclear programme. Trump, seeking credit for ordering military action and then quickly announcing a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, has lashed out angrily at media accounts of a classified report that doubted the extent of damage to Iranian nuclear sites. Another key question raised by experts is whether Iran, preparing for the strike, moved out some 400kg of enriched uranium - which could now be hidden elsewhere in the vast country. "I can tell you, the United States had no indication that that enriched uranium was moved prior to the strikes, as I also saw falsely reported," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News. "As for what's on the ground right now, it's buried under miles and miles of rubble because of the success of these strikes on Saturday evening," she said. Vice President JD Vance, asked about the uranium on Sunday, had sounded less definitive and said the United States would discuss the issue with Iran. "We're going to work in the coming weeks to ensure that we do something with that fuel," Vance told ABC News programme This Week. The quantity of uranium had been reported by the UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, with which Iran is considering severing cooperation after the Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear programme. "The IAEA lost visibility on this material the moment hostilities began," the agency's chief, Rafael Grossi, told France 2 television. But he added: "I don't want to give the impression that it's been lost or hidden." TRUMP LASHES OUT The US military said it dropped 14 GBU-57 bunker-buster bombs - powerful 13,600kg weapons - on three Iranian nuclear sites. Trump has repeatedly said that the attack "obliterated" Iran's nuclear facilities, including the key site of Fordo buried inside a mountain. But an initial classified assessment, first reported by CNN, was said to have concluded that the strike did not destroy key components and that Iran's nuclear programme was set back only months at most. Trump furiously lashed out at the CNN reporter behind the story, taking to his Truth Social platform to demand that the network fire her. Trump also said that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, whom he dubbed "war" secretary, would hold a news conference at 8am on Thursday to "fight for the dignity of our great American pilots" after the media accounts on the efficacy of the strike he ordered. Trump's intelligence chiefs also pushed back on Wednesday. CIA Director John Ratcliffe in a statement said that new intelligence from a "historically reliable" source indicated that "several key Iranian nuclear facilities were destroyed and would have to be rebuilt over the course of years." Iran's government has said that its nuclear facilities were "badly damaged". The uranium in question is enriched to 60 per cent - above levels for civilian usage but still below weapons grade. The IAEA, in a report cited by the United States and Israel to justify their attacks, said that Iran was not complying with obligations but did not find that Tehran was making a nuclear bomb.
CNA
21 minutes ago
- CNA
South Korea's Lee Jae Myung urges approval of US$22.5 billion extra budget
SEOUL: South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung on Thursday (Jun 26) called on parliament to approve a US$22.5 billion supplementary budget aimed at reviving the economy, in his first address to MPs since taking office. Lee was elected in a snap vote this month following the impeachment of his predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol, over his disastrous martial law declaration in December. The new president's appeal comes as Asia's fourth-largest economy – heavily reliant on exports – reels from steep tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. In April, the United States slapped a 25 per cent tariff on South Korean goods as part of Trump's sweeping global trade measures. The rates were later put on a 90-day hold, giving both sides until July to reach a deal. "Timing is everything when it comes to the economy, and now is the time to act," Lee told lawmakers in the main chamber of parliament. "To overcome the downturn and restore livelihoods, we have drafted a supplementary budget totalling 30.5 trillion won," he said, adding the package was designed for swift implementation. More than 40 per cent of the spending would go towards universal consumption coupons, according to the proposal, with individuals eligible for up to 520,000 won (US$380) each. He described the measure as "the minimum" his government could do to breathe life into the economy. Economic growth remained below 1 per cent for four consecutive quarters, before posting negative growth in the first quarter of this year, Lee said. Private consumption and government spending also contracted in the first quarter, he added. Consumer prices rose to 1.9 per cent in May from the year before, official data showed. Lee's request is widely expected to pass, as his centre-left Democratic Party commands a majority in the 300-seat legislature. On North Korea, he reaffirmed his campaign pledge to pursue dialogue with Pyongyang without preconditions, saying peace on the Korean peninsula was key to economic growth. "I will create a virtuous cycle where peace drives economic growth, which in turn further strengthens peace," he said. Lee's tenure begins as South Korea finds itself in the middle of a growing superpower standoff between the United States, its traditional security guarantor, and China, its largest trade partner.
