While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Sept 18, 2026
Personnel work on US Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter jets parked on the tarmac at the former Roosevelt Roads naval base in Ceiba, Puerto Rico.
The US Department of State said on Sept 17 it has approved the potential sale of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II fighter jets to Saudi Arabia, as the kingdom is drawn deeper into war in the Middle East.
A sale would mark a significant policy shift from the US, potentially altering the balance of military power in the Middle East and testing Washington’s definition of maintaining its ally Israel’s “qualitative military edge.”
Saudi Arabia made a direct appeal for the jets in early 2025 to US President Donald Trump and has long been interested in Lockheed Martin’s fighter.
The estimated US$24.3 billion (S$30.9 billion) sale would include 48 of the military aircraft and 49 Pratt & Whitney engines along with communications equipment, spare parts and other support items, the State Department said.
Migration curbs announced by Australia’s ruling Labor Party on Sept 17 will target international students and working holidaymakers, but a new ban on foreign students bringing family members to the country will not apply to those from ASEAN nations including Singapore.
The exemption is due to the Australian government’s efforts to boost ties with its regional neighbours.
The long-awaited new migration rules, which also target “visa hopping” by international students who switch courses to stay in the country, come as Labor attempts to stem surging support for anti-migrant populist Pauline Hanson.
Russia and China ended on Sept 17 a United Nations Security Council mandate for the independent monitoring of international sanctions on Iran, reviving their argument that all UN measures on Tehran had been removed under a nuclear deal with world powers.
All UN sanctions on Iran were reimposed a year ago after France, Britain and Germany accused Tehran of violating the 2015 nuclear pact meant to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.
This included the return of an independent panel of experts to monitor and report to the 15-member Security Council on violations and recommend further action. However, the council has been operating without a panel of experts on Iran for the past year because it has been unable to agree on their appointment, a move that must be done by consensus.
Prince Harry on Sept 17 made his first public appearance since his shock return to Britain from the United States with his family three weeks ago.
Harry, who quit Britain for California six years ago with his wife Meghan amid tensions with his family, attended a fundraising evening for his Invictus Games for wounded veterans in London.
Dressed in a smoking jacket adorned with his military decorations, the 42-year-old prince took selfies with injured former soldiers at the event. Meghan did not accompany him.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has held internal discussions about buying customer and operational information from troubled or defunct startups, according to people familiar with the matter, targeting a more affordable data source to improve its artificial intelligence models.
The approach would mirror Google’s offer to purchase business data from Spirit Airlines for AI training purposes after the discount carrier wound down operations. The Alphabet Inc company’s US$10 million (S$12.7 million) bid sparked some data privacy concerns, including from former flight attendants.
The talks within teams inside SpaceXAI, the company’s AI unit, are informal and may not result in a deal, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity as the information is not public. SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment.
