While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Nov 4, 2026

Rena Lee first S’porean elected as Int’l Court of Justice judgeAmbassador for International Law Rena Lee has become the first Singaporean and first woman from South-east Asia to join the bench of the world’s top court.Lee, 57, was elected to the International Court of Justice on Nov 3 after she secured an absolute majority of votes in both the 193-member UN General Assembly and 15-member UN Security Council in the first round of voting.She received 151 of 191 votes in the General Assembly and 13 of 15 votes in the Security Council.Thanking the countries that supported her candidature, she said in after her election: “I am deeply honoured by the trust and confidence that the international community has placed in me.”READ MORE HERETrump says US$4b Israel funding will end: ‘They don’t need it’PHOTO: REUTERSUS President Donald Trump said on Nov 3 he made a deal with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that Washington would stop US$4 billion (S$5 billion) in funding to Israel after the end of 2026.Speaking to Fox News’ Fox and Friends, Trump said Israel no longer needed the funding, and that some Democrats and left-wing politicians were using the US financial support to Israel as a talking point to criticise Republicans.“Now, as far as paying Israel, Bibi Netanyahu and I have made a deal that we give Israel US$4 billion a year, and we made a deal months ago that we’re stopping,” Trump said. “We’ve already agreed that, by the end of this year, we won’t be paying Israel. Now we’ll help Israel if they need it,” he added.READ MORE HERESupermarkets rush to patch vulnerabilities after fridges hackPHOTO: REUTERSEuropean supermarkets targeted in a second wave of cyberattacks that cranked up fridge and freezer temperatures were rushing on Nov 3 to upgrade their systems and protect themselves against further hacking attempts.Stores in eight European countries were forced to throw away vast quantities of food after hackers tampered on Nov 2 with their fridges, in an attack identical to one that swept dozens of supermarkets in France three weeks ago.In Sweden, supermarket chain Coop said it was switching systems to 5G networks and modern modems, instead of 4G connections - a process that had already started since the French incident.READ MORE HERENo extra measures for Pope’s South America tripPHOTO: REUTERSPope Leo is healthy and ready to depart this week for an intense three-country tour of South America less than a month after his lung cancer surgery, Vatican officials said on Nov 3, adding that no extra medical precautions were being taken for the trip.Leo, 71, leaves on Nov 6 for a 12-day tour of Uruguay, Argentina and Peru, set to be one of the most intense a pope has taken in decades.He had surgery on Oct 13 to remove the lower lobe of his right lung.READ MORE HEREDjokovic becomes oldest Paris Masters match winnerPHOTO: AFPRecord seven-time Paris Masters champion Novak Djokovic became the oldest match winner in the tournament’s history on Nov 3, beating Monaco’s Valentin Vacherot 6-7(5) 7-5 6-1 in the opening round to keep alive his hopes of qualifying for the ATP Finals.The 39-year-old has endured a tricky season, reaching the Australian Open final and Wimbledon semi-finals while falling in the third round at the French Open and the first round of the US Open.Djokovic claimed the 102nd title of his career at the China Open in October, but suffered early exits in Shanghai and Basel.READ MORE HERE