PHOTO: REUTERS
While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Oct 21, 2026
· The Straits TimesUS envoy off to Russia, Trump presses Ukraine to settle
US special envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Russia on Oct 21 after meeting in Oslo with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and leaders of Norway and Finland, while President Donald Trump said it was time for Kyiv to end the war with Moscow.
Zelensky travelled to Oslo in a bid to repair relations with Washington, which have sunk to new lows as Trump has courted Moscow. Kyiv has complained that Washington has withheld vital military support and intelligence.
Earlier on Oct 20, Zelensky spoke by phone with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Zelensky said Ukraine was again receiving early warnings of Russian missile attacks.
Trump’s recent gestures towards Moscow, including a deal to buy Russian diesel and waiving new sanctions, have sparked bipartisan pushback in the US Congress and worry in European capitals.
Russian satellite dangerously nears European spacecraft
A Russian satellite moved within just 100m of a European commercial spacecraft that supports Ukraine’s military at the weekend, orbital tracking data showed, raising concerns about Moscow’s activities in space.
Russia launched the Cosmos-2612 military satellite into low Earth orbit in April. It began changing course in late September and eventually moved into the same orbit as ICEYE-X36, a satellite operated by Finland’s ICEYE under contract with the United States.
The two spacecraft came within 100m of each other on Oct 18, according to orbital tracking data analysed by AFP.
No talks with Washington until demands are met: Iran
Iran told Pakistan’s army chief on Oct 20 that there would be no talks with Washington until Tehran’s demands were met, Iranian media reported, underscoring its hardening stance despite mediation efforts by key interlocutor Pakistan.
President Masoud Pezeshkian discussed mediation efforts and regional developments with Field Marshal Asim Munir in Tehran, according to Nournews. Pakistan is a key intermediary between the United States and Iran.
Earlier mediation efforts helped produce an interim peace agreement in June, but the Islamabad Memorandum quickly unravelled as fighting between Iran and the US resumed weeks after.
Live snake found on plane after flight cancelled in Japan
A small creature spotted aboard an airplane that caused its flight cancellation on Oct 19 in south-western Japan turned out to be a non-venomous Japanese snake, the affected airline operator said.
Japan Air Commuter (JAC), a group company of Japan Airlines, said on Oct 20 that the snake, measuring about 40cm in length, was found by a mechanic under the carpet in the aircraft at Fukuoka Airport at around 1pm local time.
It was identified by an expert as a juvenile Japanese striped snake and later captured, according to JAC. The airline said the point of entry is unknown, adding that it was the first time to have experienced such an incident.
Liverpool fight back in 7-goal Champions League thriller
Liverpool stormed back from a two-goal deficit to beat Villarreal 4-3 at Anfield and maintain a perfect start to their Champions League campaign on Oct 20, while holders Paris Saint-Germain made it three wins from three against Barcelona.
At the Etihad, Phil Foden scored a hat-trick as Manchester City thrashed AEK Athens 5-1.
Villarreal coach Inigo Perez looked set to get one over on his old boss Andoni Iraola as the Spaniards deservedly took a 2-0 lead inside 30 minutes at Anfield through Georges Mikautadze and Sergi Cardona. But twice the visitors were undone by their failure to defend crosses into the box as Alexis Mac Allister and Ronald Araujo levelled before half-time.