While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Sept 6, 2026

Putin tells US envoys situation in Ukraine is ‘difficult’Russian President Vladimir Putin met US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in the Kremlin on Sept 5, telling them at the start of the talks that the situation in Ukraine is “difficult”.Putin praised US President Donald Trump’s efforts to end the four-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine.Trump suggested on Sept 4 that the US had a fresh proposal aimed at ending the war. He did not elaborate.Russian state media said the talks lasted about three hours, and published video of the American motorcade leaving the Kremlin. There was no immediate comment from either side.READ MORE HEREUS military strikes oil tankers as Iran vows tougher reprisalsThe United States said it destroyed three Iranian oil tankers on Sept 5 in response to attempted missile attacks on naval vessels, prompting Iran’s military to warn of tougher reprisals if the strikes continued.The latest round of clashes, which began with US raids last week, comes with both sides deadlocked in the six-month war as Iran maintains its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz and Washington presses its counter-blockade of Iranian ports.In addition to the renewed military action, Washington is seeking to choke Iran’s economy, announcing sanctions on entities with financial links to the Islamic republic in a bid to further isolate it and force it into submission.READ MORE HEREAlgerian boy trapped in well for days found deadPHOTO: AFPRescuers in Algeria on Sept 5 recovered the body of a 10-year-old boy who was trapped inside a well for four days, civil protection authorities said.Efforts to rescue the boy, whom authorities identified only by his first name, Ayoub, had drawn widespread attention across the country, and social media was awash with calls to save him.On the evening of Sept 5, however, the civil protection announced that “the child was found and recovered dead”.READ MORE HEREFernandez impresses on debut for Manchester CityPHOTO: REUTERSManchester City’s post-Rodri era is still in its infancy, but Enzo Fernandez offered a tantalising glimpse of the future on Sept 5 when the Argentine marked his surprise debut by helping to fire City to a 1-0 Premier League win over Coventry City.Fernandez, signed from Chelsea on transfer deadline day for a British record-equalling £125 million (S$214 million), was not expecting to start until Nico O’Reilly suffered a back problem during the warm-up.Thrown into the lineup at the last minute, the Argentina midfielder responded with a composed and influential display that underlined why City moved quickly to secure his signature.READ MORE HEREOasis bring swagger to Venice Film FestivalPHOTO: EPALiam Gallagher pumped his fist in the air and his brother Noel flashed a victory sign as the Oasis rock stars arrived by water taxi at the Venice Film Festival on Sept 5 ahead of a documentary chronicling their blockbuster reunion tour.Asked by a Reuters reporter how it felt to be in Venice, Liam replied: “Biblical man, biblical.”Noel opted for a more Italian response: “Bellissimo.”READ MORE HERE