While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Dec 29
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A protester at a rally in New York holds a picture of kidnapped Israeli hostages Gad Haggai and Judith Weinstein Haggai.
PHOTO: AFP
Biden says American Judith Weinstein was killed by Hamas
American Judith Weinstein, who was believed to have been kidnapped by Hamas, was killed by the Palestinian Islamist group on Oct 7 when it attacked Israel, President Joe Biden said on Dec 28, adding he was devastated by the news.
Weinstein was 70. Her husband, Gadi Haggai, 73, was killed on the same day, Mr Biden said last week.
“This tragic development cuts deep, coming on the heels of last week’s news that Judith’s beloved husband, Gad Haggai, is believed to have been killed by Hamas,” Mr Biden said in a statement, vowing to continue fighting for the release of other hostages still held by Hamas.
Working while on holiday in the US Virgin Islands, Mr Biden said he would never forget what the couple’s daughter and the family members of other Americans held hostage in Gaza told him when he met with them this month. “They have been living through hell for weeks. No family should have to endure such an ordeal,” he said.
Three dead as Storm Gerrit batters Britain
Three people died on Dec 28 after their car fell into a river in northern England, local police said, as Storm Gerrit battered much of the UK.
Emergency services headed to the River Esk near the town of Glaisdale shortly before midday (8pm Singapore time), after reports that a vehicle had fallen into the river.
Several regions of the UK, particularly Scotland and northern England, have been badly hit by Storm Gerrit since Dec 27, which has brought heavy rain and snow.
Man found barely alive in landing gear of Algeria flight to Paris
A man was discovered on Dec 28 hidden in the landing gear compartment of a commercial aircraft that flew into Paris from Algeria with severe hypothermia but alive, French authorities said.
The man, believed to be in his 20s, was found during technical checks after the Air Algerie flight from Oran, Algeria, landed at Paris’ Orly airport in mid-morning, prosecutors told AFP.
He had no ID on him, and was taken to hospital in serious condition, they said.
Foreigners who made Ukraine home stay put, despite war
NYT
It was just three months after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, but Marwa Yehea wanted to return to her home in Kyiv.
Ms Yehea, 31, who is originally from Syria, had fled the Ukrainian capital with her two daughters that February when the war began. In those early days of uncertainty, she was pregnant with her third child, and they spent weeks in Germany.
But she was determined to be back home by the time her son was born. By May 2022, they had returned to Kyiv in time for his birth.
Star chef quits restaurant after hazing of kitchen hand
A French star chef has abruptly quit his luxury hotel job after a kitchen hand was reportedly tied up naked and humiliated, the hotel chain said on Dec 28.
The Bayonne public prosecutor’s office has opened a preliminary investigation into charges of sexual assault and violence, prosecutor Jerome Bourrier told AFP.
Mr Aurelien Largeau, 31, who has a coveted Michelin star to his name, ran the restaurant of the prestigious Hotel du Palais in Biarritz, south-western France, until his sudden departure last week.
