PETALING JAYA - A Singaporean’s Christmas celebration turned awry when he got injured from a hanging decorative Christmas tree that fell on his head from the ceiling of a shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur.
Mr Julius Lee, 44, was taking pictures of his wife Aileen Tan and their child in Pavilion KL when the incident happened.
“My husband was standing outside the merry-go-round to take our picture when suddenly, a Christmas tree fell on him.
“It happened so fast. Thankfully, my child was with me. The Christmas tree would’ve hit my child if she was in the stroller,” she said, according to Sinar Harian.
Ms Tan, 39, said her husband, who suffered a bruise on his head, was rushed to the clinic by the mall’s management.
She said they arrived in Malaysia on Dec 20 with their three-year-old daughter to celebrate Christmas.
The fallen Christmas tree was promptly removed, and the area was secured by mall security and management.
In a statement, Pavilion KL expressed regret over the incident.
“Our medical and safety team promptly responded, accompanying the shopper to the nearest clinic for immediate medical attention. The shopper had a minor graze and appreciated the prompt action from the management,” it said.
It added that all decorations will be thoroughly checked. THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Hamas and smaller militant ally Islamic Jihad, both sworn to Israel's destruction, are believed to be holding more than 100 hostages from among 240 they captured during their Oct 7 rampage through Israeli towns, when they killed 1,200 people.
Since then, Israel has besieged the narrow Gaza Strip and laid much of it to waste, with more than 20,400 people confirmed killed, according to authorities in Hamas-ruled Gaza, and thousands more believed dead under the rubble.
The vast majority of the 2.3 million Gazans have been driven from their homes, and the United Nations says conditions are catastrophic.
Since a week-long truce collapsed at the start of the month, fighting has only intensified on the ground, with war spreading from the north of the Gaza Strip to the full length of the densely populated enclave.
The Israeli military said on Monday that two of its soldiers had died in the past day, bringing to 158 the number killed since ground operations began on Oct 20.
A day earlier Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had acknowledged the "heavy cost" but said there was "no choice" but to continue to fight deeper into Gaza until "total victory" over Hamas.
He said in a video message that troops would fight deeper into Gaza until "total victory" over Hamas.
Israel has been under pressure from its closest ally, the United States, to shift operations to a lower-intensity phase and reduce civilian deaths.
On Saturday, Israel's military chief of staff said his forces had largely achieved operational control in the north of Gaza and would expand operations further in the south.
But residents say fighting has only intensified in northern districts.
Diplomatic efforts, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, on a new truce to free the remaining hostages held in Gaza have yielded little public progress, although Washington described the talks last week as "very serious".
Netanyahu was due to attend a parliamentary discussion of the issue on Monday afternoon and then to convene a session of his war cabinet, Israeli officials told Reuters.
Islamic Jihad said a delegation led by its exiled leader Ziad al-Nakhlala was in Cairo on Sunday. His arrival followed talks attended by Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in recent days.
The militant groups have said they would not discuss any release of hostages unless Israel ends its war in Gaza, while the Israelis say they are willing to discuss only a pause in fighting.
He spoke of "the all-too-human thread that runs through history: the quest for worldly power and might, fame and glory, which measures everything in terms of success, results, numbers and figures, a world obsessed with achievement".
Francis said that while many might find it hard to celebrate Christmas in "this world that is so judgmental and unforgiving", they should try to remember what happened on the first Christmas.
"Tonight, love changes history," he said.
Francis has made numerous appeals for a ceasefire in the conflict raging in Gaza and has called for the release of all hostages held by Palestinian militant groups.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad, both sworn to Israel's destruction, are still believed to be holding more than 100 hostages from among 240 they captured during their Oct 7 rampage through Israeli towns, when they killed 1,200 people.
Since then, Israel has besieged the Gaza Strip and laid much of it to waste, with more than 20,400 people confirmed killed, according to Gaza's Hamas-run authorities, and thousands more believed dead under the rubble. The vast majority of the 2.3 million Gazans have been driven from their homes and the United Nations says conditions are catastrophic.
At noon (1100 GMT) on Monday, Francis will deliver his Christmas Day "Urbi et Orbi" (to the city and the world) message and blessing.
Manchester United have confirmed they have agreed to sell a minority stake to Sir Jim Ratcliffe, with the INEOS chairman also committed to investing another $300 million into the club.
Ratcliffe has acquired a 25% stake in the club in a deal worth around £1.3 billion ($1.6bn) and will also take responsibility for football operations at United.
A statement issued on Sunday said his further $300m commitment is "intended to enable future investment into Old Trafford."
"As a local boy and a lifelong supporter of the club, I am very pleased that we have been able to agree a deal with the Manchester United board that delegates us management responsibility of the football operations of the club," Ratcliffe said in the statement. "Whilst the commercial success of the club has ensured there have always been available funds to win trophies at the highest level, this potential has not been fully unlocked in recent times.
"We will bring the global knowledge, expertise and talent from the wider INEOS Sport group to help drive further improvement at the club, while also providing funds intended to enable future investment into Old Trafford.
"We are here for the long term and recognise that a lot of challenges and hard work lie ahead, which we will approach with rigour, professionalism and passion. We are committed to working with everyone at the club -- the board, staff, players and fans -- to help drive the club forward.
"Our shared ambition is clear: we all want to see Manchester United back where we belong, at the very top of English, European and world football."
Ratcliffe will acquire 25% of the club's Class B shares, previously exclusively held by the Glazer family, and up to 25% Class A shares, which are traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
A source told ESPN that two seats on the football board will go to Sir Dave Brailsford and Jean-Claude Blanc.
There's no formal agreement for Ratcliffe to become full owner of United, but he would get first refusal should the Glazers decide to sell more shares.
"We are delighted to have agreed this deal with Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS," executive co-chairmen and directors Avram Glazer and Joel Glazer said in the statement. "As part of the strategic review we announced in November 2022, we committed to look at a variety of alternatives to help enhance Manchester United, with a focus on delivering success for our men's, women's and Academy teams.
"Sir Jim and INEOS bring a wealth of commercial experience as well as significant financial commitment into the Club. And, through INEOS Sport, Manchester United will have access to seasoned high-performance professionals, experienced in creating and leading elite teams from both inside and outside the game. Manchester United has talented people right across the club and our desire is to always improve at every level to help bring our great fans more success in the future."
The news comes more than a year after the Glazers announced they were "exploring strategic alternatives for the club" including accepting investment or sanctioning a full sale.
Despite interest from Ratcliffe and Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani in a full takeover at Old Trafford, the Glazers opted to accept Ratcliffe's offer to buy a minority stake. Under the terms of the agreement, the Glazers will remain at the club as majority shareholders.
The Glazers have been deeply unpopular with fans since their heavily leveraged buyout of the club in 2005.
A statement from Manchester United Supporters Trust reacting to the announcement said: "Today might -- just might -- be a step forward for Manchester United after some very difficult years. But with the Glazers still in charge, people should understand that United fans will remain sceptical and wait for the proof in the pudding."
Ratcliffe, 71, was born in Failsworth, Manchester, and grew up a United fan. He already owns French club Nice and Swiss outfit FC Lausanne-Sport and failed with a late bid to buy Chelsea in 2022.
Ahead of confirmation of Ratcliffe's involvement at United, CEO Richard Arnold announced he would be stepping down. Patrick Stewart was named interim CEO with Arnold providing "transitional support" until the end of December.
United's statement also said Ratcliffe's management responsibilities "will include all aspects of the men's and women's football operations and Academies, alongside two seats on the Manchester United PLC board and the Manchester United Football Club boards.
"The joint ambition is to create a world-class football operation building on the Club's many existing strengths, including the successful off-pitch performance that it continues to enjoy."
Several cities in the central Chinese province of Henan are facing a winter heating supply crunch, with thermal power suppliers in the city of Jiaozuo under pressure to ensure supplies.
Heating boilers at JiaoZuo WanFang Aluminum Manufacturing , one of the major suppliers in the city, have broken down, leaving some areas in urgent need of more heat supply, state media reported on Sunday.
The supplier is scrambling to fix the malfunction and expects to resume supply on Dec 26, state media reported, without specifying the number of boilers that have broken down.
JiaoZuo WanFang Aluminum did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment from Reuters.
The city will suspend heat supply for most businesses except essential service providers such as hospitals and senior centres to prioritise residential heat usage. However, some residential compounds will still be affected during the device maintenance period, the media reports added.
Two other cities in Henan - Puyang and Pingdingshan - have already suspended heat supply to government departments and administrative institutions to prioritise residential usage, the local governments said, citing extremely cold weather.
The weather forecast shows temperatures in the three cities hitting sub-zero on Sunday. Temperatures in several other areas in Henan would plunge to a low of minus 15 degrees Celsius over the weekend, the central province's weather authority said on Saturday.
Warm air is expected to flow from the country's north to south lifting temperatures from the weekend.
As of 2pm local time on Sunday, temperatures in many areas in central and eastern China had rebounded somewhat, with temperatures in some areas rising by more than 10 degrees Celsius, China's weather authority said.
Also on Saturday, Russian state media said that Yabloko party founder and leader Grigory Yavlinsky would not run for the presidency, citing the party’s press service. Speaking in a live interview on YouTube, once Duntsova’s appeal to Yabloko became known, Yavlinsky said that he “didn’t know” whether the party would consider her application.
Duntsova took her first steps toward candidate status on Sunday, when her run was endorsed by 500 supporters as required by Russian election law, and presented documents on Wednesday to Russia’s Central Election Commission to register her nomination.
A number of Russian parties also announced which candidates they would be backing in the presidential election next March, which incumbent President Vladimir Putin is all but certain to win.
The Russian Communist Party, the second largest party in the lower house of Parliament, the State Duma, announced after a secret ballot that it would support the nomination of Duma deputy Nikolai Kharitonov. As party leader Sergei Mironov previously said it would do, the Just Russia – For Truth party formally announced that it was supporting Putin’s nomination for the presidency.
Parties represented in the Duma do put forward candidates to run against Putin, but they represent only token opposition and are generally sympathetic to his agenda.
The Civic Initiative party, which is not represented in the Duma, is expected to back the nomination of independent candidate Boris Nadezhdin, who is known for campaigning against Russia’s actions in Ukraine. He has the support of a contingent of soldiers' wives, unhappy with their husbands’ long deployments.
NAGI (Okayama) / NAGAREYAMA (Chiba)– Mrs Ayano Hata is pregnant with her second child but is already thinking about having a third.
“We look at the large families around us and, somehow, ours still feels incomplete,” the 25-year-old tells The Straits Times as she watches her firstborn, 21-month-old Koharu, toddle across the lawn of a daycare centre.
