While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, July 15, 2025
US President Donald Trump (right) and Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte during a meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on July 14.
Trump arms Ukraine, threatens sanctions on countries that buy Russian oil
US President Donald Trump announced new weapons for Ukraine on July 14, and threatened sanctions on buyers of Russian exports unless Russia agrees a peace deal, a major policy shift brought on by frustration with Moscow's ongoing attacks on its neighbour.
But Mr Trump's threat of sanctions came with a 50-day grace period, a move that was welcomed by investors in Russia where the rouble recovered from earlier losses and stock markets rose.
Sitting with Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office, Mr Trump told reporters that he was disappointed in Russian President Vladimir Putin and the billions of dollars in weapons would be distributed to Ukraine.
'We're going to make top-of-the-line weapons, and they'll be sent to Nato,' Mr Trump said, adding that Washington's Nato allies would pay for them.
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Zelensky names new PM, taps official who spearheaded US minerals deal
PHOTO: AFP
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko on July 14 to lead a new government, setting the stage for a political reshuffle as Ukraine's war with Russia raged on.
Mr Zelensky also proposed that Ukraine's current prime minister, Denys Shmyhal, take over as defence minister, describing him as holding the right qualifications for a very important job.
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Singapore HSA intensifies crackdown on vapes; young suspected Kpod peddlers nabbed in Bishan, Yishun
Singapore Man charged over distributing nearly 3 tonnes of vapes in one day in Bishan, Ubi Avenue 3
Singapore Public healthcare institutions to record all Kpod cases, confiscate vapes: MOH, HSA
Singapore Man allegedly attacks woman with knife at Kallang Wave Mall, to be charged with attempted murder
Singapore Singapore boosts support for Timor-Leste as it prepares to join Asean
Singapore UN aviation and maritime agencies pledge to collaborate to boost safety, tackle challenges
Singapore High Court dismisses appeal of drink driver who killed one after treating Tampines road like racetrack
Singapore 18 years' jail for woman who hacked adoptive father to death after tussle over Sengkang flat
The nominations, which require parliamentary approval, came as diplomatic efforts to end the war, now in its fourth year, have stalled and as Ukraine seeks to revive its cash-strapped economy and build up a domestic arms industry.
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Israel strikes southern Syria as sectarian clashes left nearly 100 dead
PHOTO: AFP
Syrian government forces were advancing towards the southern city of Sweida on July 14 to quell deadly clashes between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes, with one Druze armed group saying talks with authorities aimed at brokering a truce were underway.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor reported 99 people killed since the fighting erupted on July 13 – 60 Druze, including four civilians, 18 Bedouin fighters, 14 security personnel and seven unidentified people in military uniforms.
As the violence escalated, Israel – which has previously warned it would intervene in Syria to protect the Druze – said it struck 'several tanks' in the area as a 'warning' to Damascus.
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EU threatens countermeasures over US tariffs; Trump is open to talks
PHOTO: REUTERS
The European Union on July 14 accused the US of resisting efforts to strike a trade deal and warned of countermeasures if no agreement is reached to avoid the punishing tariffs President Donald Trump has threatened to impose starting on Aug 1.
Mr Trump, meanwhile, said he was open to further discussions with the EU and other trading partners before new 30 per cent tariffs kick in next month and that EU officials would be coming to the United States for negotiations.
'They would like to do a different kind of a deal and we're always open to talk, including to Europe,' he told reporters in the Oval Office. 'In fact, they're coming over. They'd like to talk.'
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Heatwaves in Spain caused 1,180 deaths in past two months
PHOTO: AFP
High temperatures caused 1,180 deaths in Spain in the past two months, a sharp increase from the same period last year, the Environment Ministry said on July 14.
The vast majority of people who died were over 65 and more than half were women, the data it cited showed.
The most affected regions were Galicia, La Rioja, Asturias and Cantabria - all located in the northern half of the country, where traditionally cooler summer temperatures have seen a significant rise in recent years.
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Straits Times
37 minutes ago
- Straits Times
US tariffs may last well after Trump; crucial for countries to deepen trade ties: SM Lee
SINGAPORE - Countries that support free trade should strengthen cooperation and work together to adapt to evolving global trade dynamics in response to the United States' increasingly protectionist stance. This is crucial, as it may be difficult for the US and the rest of the world to return to the pre-April 2 landscape, when President Donald Trump unveiled his so-called reciprocal trade policy, said Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong. The former prime minister was speaking at the Economic Society of Singapore's (ESS) annual dinner on July 15. SM Lee noted that once tariffs are in place and new businesses emerge that rely on that protection, it becomes politically unfeasible to remove them, as these businesses, now with vested interests, will push back against any rollback. 'It will not go back to the status quo in trade policy, in economic policy. Once you make a move, you can't take it back.' He noted that former US president Joe Biden did not overturn earlier tariffs that Mr Trump imposed on China in his first term. SM Lee said that it is unclear if the US will in the future abandon its protectionist stance, but that should not stop other countries from strengthening international cooperation among one another. He noted that the US has taken a more narrow, bilateral and transactional view of international trade, and, while not perfect, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) framework has nonetheless enabled extensive free trade among many countries. 'We will have to see whether that is (still) possible, because when you have the biggest economy in the world taking a radically different approach and really not just withdrawing from, but expressing its disapproval of the WTO system, that will have repercussions.' Acting in defiance of economic laws and the interests of other countries will be very hard to sustain for the US, SM Lee said. 'One thing I have learned in government is that you can fail to follow economic principles, but you cannot repeal an economic law, whether you follow (it) or not, the economic law exists. 'That's just the way the world works. That's just the way human society works, and if you don't follow it, you may have your reasons and you want to override it and do something different, but market forces, incentives for people to act in certain ways in their own interests are very powerful,' he said. He noted that the Americans still have to trade with the rest of the world, such as in rare earths. 'Maybe at some point you (the US) can come back and participate again in a more open and constructive way, but that's the best possible scenario. It may or may not happen.' Asked what other countries should do in the meantime, SM Lee said they can build partnerships with like-minded economies within a region such as Asean, a broader grouping like the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or through wider trade pacts such as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. 'And I think we can also work together on the WTO to make the WTO work without being paralysed by consensus gridlock.' He said countries should also diversify their trade relationships by exploring new markets in regions like Latin America and Africa. SM Lee's dialogue with ESS president Euston Quah also touched on domestic economics and policies, such as on Singapore's certificate of entitlement (COE) system. A preferential system where COEs are offered at a lower cost to certain groups is not feasible for Singapore, SM Lee said. He was responding to a question by Prof Quah which made reference to calls for COEs to be made more affordable to some drivers, based on need, such as families with young children. This cannot work in tandem with the current COE system, which is meant to allocate scarce space on the road according to economic principles, SM Lee said. 'It becomes very difficult for the government to design a system which takes into account how many kids you have, how young they are, whether you've got somebody disabled in the family, whether you have an old folk, whether your job requires you to go place to place, delivering supplies, meeting customers, or whether you are driving to a place of work very far away,' he said. 'I think if you want to design a scheme which worries about all those things, it would fail.' He likened the COE to a proxy for road space, with prices fluctuating depending on demand from prospective car buyers. This system is working quite well, SM Lee said, adding that the government has issued additional COEs to give more people the right to own vehicles. 'If you want the price to be lower, then you must put out more COEs, which is what the government is now doing. We took from the future. We are putting out five, 10 per cent more, and therefore the supply is higher,' he added. 'There's really no easy way to make something which is valuable be distributed fairly, and at the same time, very cheap.' The Land Transport Authority has said it would add up to 20,000 additional COEs across all five vehicle categories over several years from this February. SM Lee also cited the Chinese city of Beijing, which adopted lotteries to determine which drivers could own licence plates. He said he did not believe this was the right solution for Singapore. 'I can guarantee every Singaporean affordable, convenient transportation. I cannot guarantee every Singaporean an affordable car.' He added that cars differ from Housing Board flats, where 'every Singaporean can get one, maybe three-room, maybe five-room, maybe two-room, but every Singaporean household can get one. But cars, no'. SM Lee noted that it is better to provide direct cash assistance to the group in need instead of creating complicated schemes to help them. 'You have a special need, for example, you have a kid. Rather than I give you a cheaper COE, I give you a bigger baby bonus, and if you want, you can use that to... help to pay for a little bit of a car,' he said.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Life-threatening operations by Russia, Iran and China are intensifying in UK, police say
Russia, Iran and China are using criminals, vulnerable people, the disenfranchised, and even children as proxies to carry out attacks in the UK, say police. LONDON - Russia, Iran and China are behind a growing number of life-threatening operations in Britain including attacks and kidnappings, often deploying criminals and sometimes children as proxies, two senior British police officers said on July 15. The British authorities in recent years have repeatedly voiced concern at what they said was malign activity by the three states in Britain, ranging from traditional espionage and actions to undermine the state, to sabotage and assassinations. Those accusations have been rejected by Moscow, Beijing and Tehran, which say they are politically motivated. On July 15, the two British officers said told reporters there had been a fivefold increase in hostile state activity since the Novichok nerve agent poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in 2017, which London says was carried out by Russian spies. Commander Dominic Murphy, who heads up London's Counter Terrorism Command, said the breadth, complexity and volume of hostile operations from Russia, Iran and China had grown at a rate neither they nor their international partners nor any intelligence community had predicted. 'We are increasingly seeing these three states... undertaking threat-to-life operations in the United Kingdom,' he told reporters. In most instances, proxies, usually criminals acting quite often for small amounts of cash, were carrying out the states' work for them, said Assistant Chief Constable Vicki Evans, the Senior National Coordinator for UK Counter Terrorism Policing. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Las Vegas Sands' new development part of S'pore's broader, more ambitious transformation: PM Wong Singapore Economic headwinds do not dampen outlook for new Marina Bay development: Las Vegas Sands president Business MAS records net profit of $19.7 billion, fuelled by investment gains Singapore Man charged with attempted murder of woman at Kallang Wave Mall Singapore Singapore CDL's long-time director Phillip Yeo to depart after boardroom feud Singapore Ex-cleaner jailed over safety lapses linked to guard's death near 1-Altitude rooftop bar Life The Violinist, Singapore's first animated historical film, set for August 2026 release Singapore 'Nobody deserves to be alone': Why Mummy and Acha have fostered over 20 children in the past 22 years The proxies also included vulnerable people or those who felt disenfranchised, with those aged in their mid teens among those arrested or under investigation. 'We are concerned that they might find themselves in an online environment where they're encouraged or egged on to do something and don't understand what they're being asked to do,' said ACC Evans, adding they were less concerned that the children were ideologically motivated. Earlier this month, three men were convicted over an arson attack on Ukraine-linked businesses in London, which police said had been ordered by Russia's Wagner mercenary group. Their ringleader had earlier admitted plotting to kidnap a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In 2024, the head of Britain's domestic spy agency MI5 said that, since January 2022, there had been 20 Iran-backed plots to kidnap or kill British nationals or individuals based in Britain who Tehran regarded as a threat. 'We know that they are continuing to try and sow violence on the streets of the United Kingdom, they too are to some extent relying on criminal proxies to do that,' Comm Murphy said of Iran. REUTERS
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Russia, Iran and China intensifying life-threatening operations in UK, police say
LONDON - Russia, Iran and China are behind a growing number of life-threatening operations in Britain including attacks and kidnappings, often deploying criminals and sometimes children as proxies, two senior British police officers said on Tuesday. The British authorities in recent years have repeatedly voiced concern at what they said was malign activity by the three states in Britain, ranging from traditional espionage and actions to undermine the state, to sabotage and assassinations. Those accusations have been rejected by Moscow, Beijing and Tehran, which say they are politically motivated. On Tuesday, the two British officers said told reporters there had been a fivefold increase in hostile state activity since the Novichok nerve agent poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury in 2017, which London says was carried out by Russian spies. Dominic Murphy, who heads up London's Counter Terrorism Command, said the breadth, complexity and volume of hostile operations from Russia, Iran and China had grown at a rate neither they nor their international partners nor any intelligence community had predicted. "We are increasingly seeing these three states ... undertaking threat-to-life operations in the United Kingdom," he told reporters. In most instances, proxies, usually criminals acting quite often for small amounts of cash, were carrying out the states' work for them, said Vicki Evans, the Senior National Coordinator for UK Counter Terrorism Policing. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Las Vegas Sands' new development part of S'pore's broader, more ambitious transformation: PM Wong Singapore Economic headwinds do not dampen outlook for new Marina Bay development: Las Vegas Sands president Business MAS records net profit of $19.7 billion, fuelled by investment gains Singapore Man charged with attempted murder of woman at Kallang Wave Mall Singapore Singapore CDL's long-time director Phillip Yeo to depart after boardroom feud Singapore Ex-cleaner jailed over safety lapses linked to guard's death near 1-Altitude rooftop bar Life The Violinist, Singapore's first animated historical film, set for August 2026 release Singapore 'Nobody deserves to be alone': Why Mummy and Acha have fostered over 20 children in the past 22 years The proxies also included vulnerable people or those who felt disenfranchised, with those aged in their mid teens among those arrested or under investigation. "We are concerned that they might find themselves in an online environment where they're encouraged or egged on to do something and don't understand what they're being asked to do," said Evans, adding they were less concerned that the children were ideologically motivated. Earlier this month, three men were convicted over an arson attack on Ukraine-linked businesses in London, which police said had been ordered by Russia's Wagner mercenary group. Their ringleader had earlier admitted plotting to kidnap a critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Last year, the head of Britain's domestic spy agency MI5 said that, since January 2022, there had been 20 Iran-backed plots to kidnap or kill British nationals or individuals based in Britain who Tehran regarded as a threat. "We know that they are continuing to try and sow violence on the streets of the United Kingdom, they too are to some extent relying on criminal proxies to do that," Murphy said of Iran. REUTERS
