While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Aug 21, 2025
Palestinians rush for cover as smoke billows from an Israeli strike on a building in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, on Aug 20.
Israel takes first steps of Gaza City military operation
Israel's military announced the first steps of an operation to take over Gaza City on Aug 20 and called up tens of thousands of reservists while the government considered a new ceasefire proposal to pause nearly two years of war.
'We have begun the preliminary operations and the first stages of the attack on Gaza City, and already now IDF forces are holding the outskirts of Gaza City,' Brigadier-General Effie Defrin, Israel's military spokesman, told reporters.
A military official briefing reporters earlier on Aug 20 said reserve soldiers would not report for duty until September, an interval that gives mediators some time to bridge gaps between Hamas and Israel over truce terms.
But after Israeli troops clashed with Hamas fighters in the Palestinian enclave on Aug 20, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the Israeli leader sped up the timeline for taking control of Hamas strongholds and defeating the militant group that triggered the conflict with an attack on Israel in October 2023.
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India test-fires nuclear-capable ballistic missile
India said on Aug 20 it had successfully test-fired an intermediate-range ballistic missile which, when operational, should be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead to any part of China.
The Agni-5 missile was successfully launched in India's eastern Odisha state, with authorities saying it 'validated all operational and technical parameters.'
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Singapore 18 persons nabbed and 82 vapes seized in HSA ops in Raffles Place and Haji Lane
Singapore 3 Sengkang Green Primary pupils suspended for bullying classmate, with 1 of them caned: MOE
Singapore Woman trapped between train doors: Judge rules SBS Transit '100% responsible'
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India and China, the world's two most populous nations, are intense rivals competing for influence across South Asia and relations plummeted in 2020 after a deadly border clash.
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Trump buys more than $100m in bonds in office
PHOTO: EPA
US President Donald Trump has bought more than US$100 million (S$128 million) in company, state and municipal bonds since taking office in January, according to new disclosures which shed further light on the vast holdings of America's billionaire president.
The forms, posted online on Aug 19, show the Republican former real estate mogul made more than 600 financial purchases since Jan 21, the day after he was inaugurated for his second term in the White House.
The Aug 12 filing from the US Office of Government Ethics does not list exact amounts for each purchase, only giving a broad range.
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Poland accuses Russia of drone 'provocation'
Poland said on Aug 20 that a Russian military drone flew into its airspace and exploded in farmland in the east of the country overnight, calling it a 'provocation'.
'Once again, we are facing a provocation from the Russian Federation, with a Russian drone,' Polish Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told reporters.
The explosion occurred in a cornfield near the village of Osiny some 100km from Warsaw and near the borders with Ukraine and Russian-allied Belarus.
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Seville storms past Lyles for Lausanne 100m win
Jamaica's Oblique Seville trumped Olympic champion Noah Lyles in the 100m at the Diamond League meet in Lausanne on Aug 20, just three weeks away from the world championships in Tokyo.
Once again, Lyles stuttered out of the blocks, a slow start handing Seville the advantage from the start, something the Jamaican then never looked in danger of ceding.
Seville clocked an impressive 9.87 seconds in torrential rain at the Stade Olympique de la Pontaise, Lyles battling back in a strong finish to snatch second in 10.02sec.
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Straits Times
8 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Netherlands to send Patriot air defence systems to Poland, Polish minister says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Polish Patriot air defence system units stand at the military base in Sochaczew, Poland, December 18, 2024. Agencja Marczewski via REUTERS/File Photo WARSAW - The Netherlands will send two Patriot air defence systems and around 300 personnel to protect a hub for military aid to Ukraine in NATO ally Poland, the Polish defence minister said on Thursday. Earlier this week, a Russian-made drone crashed into a field in eastern Poland, heightening concern in Poland about airspace violations during the war in neighbouring Ukraine. "Due to the ongoing events in Ukraine, the ongoing conflict, and Poland's role in logistically securing the transfer to Ukraine (...), the Netherlands has declared support for systems securing our airspace and air defence systems," Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz told a news conference, welcoming the Dutch decision. The Netherlands said on Wednesday that the Patriot systems would be deployed from December 1 to June 1 next year. The military drone fell into a cornfield in eastern Poland overnight on Tuesday, scorching crops, shattering windows in nearby homes and adding to tensions during intensified efforts to end the war in Ukraine. A prosecutor said on Thursday that the drone most likely came from the direction of Belarus, a close ally of Moscow that has backed Russia's war in Ukraine. REUTERS
CNA
27 minutes ago
- CNA
Israel pounds Gaza City as military takes first moves in offensive
GAZA CITY: Israel hammered Gaza City and its outskirts overnight, residents said Thursday (Aug 21), as the military announced it had taken initial steps in its push to capture Hamas's last major stronghold. The newly approved plan authorises the call-up of roughly 60,000 reservists, deepening fears the campaign will worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. "We are not waiting. We have begun the preliminary actions, and already now, IDF (army) troops are holding the outskirts of Gaza City," said the Israeli military. Israel's plans to expand the fighting and seize Gaza City have sparked international outcry as well as domestic opposition. The Red Cross became the latest voice to condemn the plan on Thursday, calling it "intolerable". Ahead of the offensive, the Israeli military said the call-up of the reservists would begin in early September, adding the second phase of operation "Gideon's Chariots" had begun. Gaza City residents described relentless bombardments overnight. "The house shakes with us all night long - the sound of explosions, artillery, warplanes, ambulances, and cries for help is killing us," one of them, Ahmad al-Shanti, told AFP. "The sound is getting closer, but where would we go?" Another resident, Amal Abdel-Aal, said she watched the heavy strikes on the area, a week after being displaced from her home in Gaza City's Al-Sabra neighbourhood. "No one in Gaza has slept - not last night, not for a week. The artillery and air strikes in the east never stop. The sky flashes all night long," she added. Gaza civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said air strikes and artillery fire overnight targeted areas to the northwest and southeast of Gaza City. "NOWHERE SAFE TO GO" Late Thursday, the Israeli military detailed a range of operations across the Gaza Strip in recent weeks. It said the manoeuvres and strikes "created the conditions" for the military to intensify pressure on Hamas and lay the groundwork for the next stages of the campaign. The UN humanitarian agency has warned the Israeli plan to expand military operations in Gaza City would have "a horrific humanitarian impact" on the already exhausted population. "Forcing hundreds of thousands to move south is a recipe for further disaster and could amount to forcible transfer," OCHA said. The UN Human Rights office in the Palestinian territories also voiced concern. "Hundreds of families have been forced to flee, including many children, persons with disabilities, and older people, with nowhere safe to go," it said. Others reportedly "remain trapped, completely cut off from food, water and medicine supplies", it added. The Israeli military said this week it had also begun informing medical personnel and aid groups in northern Gaza to start making evacuation plans and transferring their equipment to the south. As Israel tightened its grip on Gaza City's outskirts, meditators continued to wait for an official Israeli reaction to their latest ceasefire proposal that Hamas accepted earlier this week. "BALL" IN ISRAEL'S COURT Israel and Hamas have held a string of indirect negotiations throughout the nearly two-year conflict, paving the way for a pair of short ceasefires during which Israeli hostages were freed in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Of the 251 captives kidnapped during Hamas's October 2023 onslaught on southern Israel that triggered the war, 49 are still in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Sources from Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad told AFP this week that the latest ceasefire proposal calls for the release of 10 hostages and 18 bodies from Gaza. The remaining hostages would be released in a second phase alongside talks for a wider settlement. Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have overseen several rounds of shuttle diplomacy. Qatar said the latest proposal was "almost identical" to an earlier version approved by Israel, while Egypt said Monday that "the ball is now in its (Israel's) court". Late Wednesday, Hamas lambasted the plans to take control of Gaza City, saying in a statement it showed its "blatant disregard" for efforts to broker a ceasefire and hostage release deal. Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's offensive has killed at least 62,122 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which the United Nations considers reliable.
Straits Times
39 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Azerbaijan sounds the alarm over shallowing of Caspian Sea
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: An aerial view of the Caspian Sea near the city of Baku through the window of an airplane, in Baku Azerbaijan May 27, 2019. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh/File Photo BAKU - Rapid falls in the level of the Caspian Sea are affecting ports and oil shipments and threatening to inflict catastrophic damage on sturgeon and seal populations, according to Azerbaijani officials. The Caspian, the world's largest salt lake, holds significant offshore oil reserves and is bordered by five countries that are all major producers of oil or gas or both: Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. Azerbaijan's Deputy Ecology Minister Rauf Hajiyev told Reuters that the sea had been getting shallower for decades, but figures showed that the trend was accelerating. Its level has fallen by 0.93 metres (3 ft) in the past five years, by 1.5 metres in the last 10, and 2.5 metres in the past 30, he said in an interview, estimating the current rate of decline at 20-30 cm per year. "The retreat of the coastline changes natural conditions, disrupts economic activity and creates new challenges for sustainable development," said Hajiyev, who represents Azerbaijan in a joint working group with Russia that met for the first time in April to discuss the problem. Despite worsening relations between the two countries, according to the protocol signed between the two countries the working group plans to approve a joint programme online in September for monitoring and responding to the issue. Russia links the problem mainly to climate change but Azerbaijan also blames Russia's construction of dams on the Volga River which provides 80% of the water entering the Caspian. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Courier tip-off leads to HSA seizure of Kpods, drugs in Tampines and Grange Road raids Singapore Large flocks of parakeets a spectacle in Choa Chu Kang, but they may affect native species Singapore Singapore students shine in Paris with record medal haul at history Olympiad Singapore Teacher charged over allegedly making student undress in video call, sending her his nude photo Business Changi Travel Services cuts 30 staff amid market shifts Singapore Singapore Parliament releases seating plan for 15th term: Find out who is sitting where Asia HK water scandal: How distrust over China bottled water sparked a probe into govt contract Asia Indonesia's Gaza rescue bid: Help or hype? Hajiyev said the falling water level was already affecting the lives of coastal populations and the work of ports. About 4 million people live on the coast of Azerbaijan, and about 15 million in the Caspian region as a whole. He said ships are facing increased difficulties when entering and manoeuvring in the port of Baku, Azerbaijan's capital. This is reducing cargo capacity and raising logistics costs, he added. REDUCED OIL CARGOES Transportation of oil and oil products through the Dubendi oil terminal, the largest in the Azerbaijani waters of the Caspian Sea, fell to 810,000 tons in the first half of 2025 from 880,000 in the same period of last year, according to Eldar Salakhov, director of the Baku International Sea Port. He linked the decline to the falling water level, which he said was making it necessary to carry out major dredging work to ensure stable and uninterrupted port operations. In 2024, more than 250,000 cubic meters of dredging were carried out at the Dubendi oil terminal to ensure that the largest tankers could enter without restrictions, he told Reuters. In April, the Baku Shipyard finished building a new dredging vessel, the Engineer Soltan Kazimov, which is due to enter service shortly. Salakhov said it would be able to deepen the bottom to 18 metres in order to help maintain the port's capacity. THREAT TO FISH AND SEALS Hajiyev, the deputy minister, said the retreat of the waters was destroying wetlands, lagoons, and reed beds and threatening the survival of some marine species. The biggest blow is to sturgeon, prized for their caviar, which are already under threat of extinction. They are losing up to 45% of their summer and autumn habitats and being cut off from their traditional spawning grounds in rivers. Caspian seals are also threatened by the shrinking sea area and disappearance of seasonal ice fields in the north, where they breed, he added. "With a 5-metre drop in the sea level, seals lose up to 81% of their breeding sites, and with a 10-metre drop, they are almost completely deprived of suitable sites," Hajiyev said. REUTERS
