While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Sept 22, 2026
South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun (left) and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi (right) meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York City on Sept 21.
The United States on Sept 21 reiterated its commitment to the defence of key Asian allies Japan and South Korea, and the three nations expressed support for Taiwan ahead of a summit this week between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Analysts say the US allies are anxious that Trump may offer concessions to Xi including over Taiwan and trade in return for an economic win with Beijing when he hosts Xi at the White House in Washington on Sept 24.
Officials say both Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and South Korean President Lee Jae Myung are keen to see the US president during the UN General Assembly in New York, where all three are scheduled to speak on Sept 22.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with his South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun and Japanโs Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in New York on Sept 21.
Vladimir Putin is set to travel to China for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit hosted by President Xi Jinping but is likely to skip the Group of 20 (G-20) in the US with Donald Trump.
The Russian president plans to take part personally in the APEC meeting for the first time since 2017, according to people close to the Kremlin. Thereโs only a very slim prospect of him joining President Trump for the G-20 in Florida, the people said, asking not to be identified because the matter isnโt public.
Xi will host APEC leaders in Chinaโs Shenzhen on Nov 18-19. Russian officials have speculated about the prospect of holding an unprecedented trilateral meeting between the leaders of the worldโs three biggest nuclear powers on the sidelines of the summit.
Paramount Skydance emerged victorious on Sept 21 from a legal battle over its US$110 billion (S$140 billion) acquisition of Warner Bros Discovery after settling with a California-led group of US states and a Hollywood writers union, paving the way for one of the largest media mergers in history.
The settlement marks a major win for Paramount CEO David Ellison, who battled the states for months to finalise a deal that would dramatically concentrate power across Hollywoodโs film, TV, streaming and news businesses.
Paramount agreed to abide by temporary film quotas and a news oversight committee, avoiding a forced sale of cable assets such as CNN or any of its lucrative film franchises.
A Moroccan boy travelled from Spainโs north African exclave of Ceuta to the mainland hidden under a visiting football teamโs bus on Sept 21, sources at the club told AFP.
The Real Valladolid players found the child hidden by their coachโs wheel axle when it pulled over at a service station, the sources told AFP.
The team from northern Spain had crossed the Strait of Gibraltar on the ferry on the way home after drawing 1-1 in their second-division match against Ceuta, when they heard strange noises under the vehicle.
The governing body of motorsports (FIA) on Sept 21 announced Formula One rules changes which included shortening Grand Prix races and putting the brakes on some proposed tinkering with gearboxes.
The FIAโs Formula One Commission met in London to confirm reforms for next season.
They decided to cut races from a total of 305 kilometres to 290 kilometres โ a reduction they calculated of two or three laps per race.
