While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Dec 25 edition

Palestinians attend a Christian scouts performance at Manger Square in Bethlehem, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Dec 24, 2016. PHOTO: AFP

Pilgrims in Bethlehem, fears in Europe on Christmas Eve

Pilgrims thronged Bethlehem for Christmas Eve as Europeans worked up some holiday spirit despite tight security in the shadow of the Berlin market attack.

Crowds of Palestinians and tourists flocked to Bethlehem's Manger Square near the Church of the Nativity, ahead of midnight mass at the site where Christians believe Jesus was born.

Some snapped selfies near a giant Christmas tree and watched the annual Scouts parade in the city, a short drive from Jerusalem in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

"This is Christ's land, the land of peace," said Ramzi Abu Khalil, wearing a Santa hat.

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Tragedy of Muar bus crash unfolds before family and loved ones

The true extent of Saturday's twilight bus crash at the North-South Expressway - which killed three Singaporeans and one Singapore permanent resident - unfolded through the night outside of Sultanah Fatimah Specialist hospital in Muar.

Families of the 14 dead and 16 injured kept a stoic vigil, either mourning quietly for relatives lost, or praying that others pull through, with some victims critically injured. For some, it was both.

One Singapore family lost a mother and daughter. Madam Faridah Tamron and her daughter Hazimah Mustafa were both killed. Madam Faridah's husband Mustafa Yasin, 63,as well as Ms Hazimah's husband Muhammad Fitri, are among those injured. Mr Mustafa had fractures, while Mr Fitri broke an arm and fractured a leg.

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Israel to reassess UN ties after settlement resolution, says Netanyahu

Israel will re-assess its ties with the United Nations following the adoption by the Security Council of a resolution demanding an end to Israeli settlement building, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.

The vote was able to pass the 15-member council on Friday because the United States broke with a long-standing approach of diplomatically shielding Israel and did not wield its veto power as it had on many times before - a decision that Netanyahu called "shameful".

"I instructed the Foreign Ministry to complete within a month a re-evaluation of all our contacts with the United Nations, including the Israeli funding of UN institutions and the presence of UN representatives in Israel," Netanyahu said in broadcast remarks.

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Star Wars actress Carrie Fisher fights for life after heart attack

Hollywood star Carrie Fisher was fighting for her life, one day after suffering a massive heart attack near the end of a transatlantic flight.

Her brother, Todd Fisher, told The Hollywood Reporter that Fisher was "out of emergency" but he later denied media reports that she was in stable condition.

He told Variety magazine his sister had been moved from the emergency room to the Intensive Care Unit, adding on ABC7's Eyewitness News that she was "getting the best care she can receive."

"She's obviously a very tough girl who's survived many things," he added. "I encourage everyone to pray for her."

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Football: Lampard open to Chelsea return as player

Frank Lampard admitted he would relish a return to Chelsea as a player and is keen to rejoin the Premier League leaders in some capacity even if he is not offered a deal.

The former England midfielder is Chelsea's all-time leading goalscorer and is keeping his options open after leaving New York City FC following a two-year spell with the MLS side.

"I'm very relaxed about it, which is a nice place to be. If the right thing comes, I'll take it. Obviously Chelsea, I'd love that, but it doesn't work that way always."

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