Latest news with #fatherInLaw
Malay Mail
19-06-2025
- Malay Mail
Singaporean jailed 18 months for assault that left father-in-law with titanium eye socket implant
SINGAPORE, June 19 — A 26-year-old man who launched a vicious and unprovoked assault on his father-in-law, leaving the victim with life-altering injuries including facial deformities and impaired vision, was sentenced to 18 months' jail and six strokes of the cane yesterday. According to Channel News Asia, Muhammad Fida'iy Mohamad Fauzi admitted to one charge of causing grievous hurt. The court heard that the attack left his 58-year-old victim with a permanently damaged face, restricted vision, and the need for a titanium implant in his left eye socket. The incident took place on the night of June 21, 2023, when Fida'iy asked to meet the older man at a fast-food outlet at Loyang Point. The meeting was allegedly over a letter Fida'iy believed had been written by the victim and sent to one of his neighbours. The contents of the letter were not disclosed in court. When the victim denied sending the letter and urged Fida'iy to calm down, he left the outlet and called his wife. As he walked along a pavement, Fida'iy followed him and kicked him in the back, causing him to fall. He then punched the victim repeatedly in the face before walking away to wash the blood off his hands. The victim later sought help at a police station with the aid of his daughter. Medical examinations revealed severe fractures to the victim's left eye socket and nasal bone. Surgeons were unable to reconstruct the damaged areas and had to insert a titanium mesh to prevent the eyeball from sinking. The injuries left him with permanent scarring, a collapsed nasal passage, impaired breathing, and restricted movement of his left eyeball. He also lost his sense of smell on the left side and can now only chew food on one side of his mouth. According to court documents, the injuries are expected to impact his daily life and ability to work. Deputy Public Prosecutor Lim Yu Hui, who called the attack 'unprovoked and wholly gratuitous,' had sought a sentence of 18 to 22 months' jail along with six strokes of the cane. She also asked for a compensation order to cover the victim's medical bills and loss of income. District Judge Cheng Yuxi granted the order for Fida'iy to pay S$8,241.19 (RM27,272) in compensation. If unpaid, he will have to serve an additional 20 days in jail. For voluntarily causing grievous hurt, Fida'iy could have faced up to 10 years' imprisonment, a fine, or caning.
Irish Times
12-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Sky Television ‘seems happy to take advantage' of my trusting, elderly aunt
The idea that a television service provider would be taking well over €100 a month off people who can perhaps ill afford it without being able to adequately explain what is going on is pretty awful. But it enters the realm of appalling if those people are older, and might be struggling to get on top of their day-to-day finances. We have two stories connected to Sky Television that are strikingly similar, and involve family members seeking help for older people. 'I am writing on behalf of my elderly father-in-law,' begins a mail from a reader called Jacinta. READ MORE On October 30th last year, he had contacted Sky, as he was concerned about being charged a monthly fee of €120, she explains. 'He verbally agreed to a new monthly contract of €84.50 for six months and was told he should contact the company when that timeframe had elapsed to agree the next charges.' She says that on February 19th the charge was €85.14, and on March 18th the charge was €87.50. She says there was 'no notification of an increase'. [ Sky broadband blues: 'During the day, it stayed working. After 8pm, zilch' Opens in new window ] Then on April 16th 'the new charges were €105.80. This was within the six months period and there was absolutely no notification. On May 16th charges were €121 – an almost 50 per cent increase inside a few weeks with absolutely no notification." 'My father-in-law is in his 70s, and suffers chronic health, and talking at times on the phone can greatly exacerbate his breathing [problems]. It's not possible to email Sky, though you can call and be left usually up to 45 mins before you get to talk with someone and all that, apart from their charges. Sky can charge whatever they wish whenever they wish. Neither Comreg nor CCPC want to know as it's not their area.' Then there is the story about a woman in her 80s who appears to be paying an awful lot for very little. The story was shared with us by her nephew. 'I've an aunt in her late 80s who spent her life giving of herself to others,' begins the mail. 'She doesn't ask for much and uses TV to watch the news in her kitchen, and one other channel that's free on the internet. For quite some time she couldn't get Sky to work on the TV in the kitchen. I assumed it was because the TV was old, so I bought her a new one. The problem persists.' Our reader asked her aunt how much she pays, and whether she had the account details. 'The only information she could find was on her bank account, and she became upset as she realised how much they were taking from her account every month (average €150-plus). 'I work abroad, so rarely get the opportunity to resolve problems for her, but the week before last, after a lot of searching, managed to get through to Sky by phone. They went through security with my aunt and, after a few minutes, the call disconnected.' He says that he tried four times 'going through the same process, getting various levels of sympathy and assurances, but each time the calls eventually disconnected. This weekend I checked with my aunt. She'd received no mail or follow up of any sort,' he writes. 'My aunt's a trusting and generous person, and it seems as if Sky are happy to take advantage, deliberately make it incredibly difficult to contact them, and apparently impossible to get support.' It seems to Pricewatch that both of these people are is paying way over the odds for their television service but it also seems like they have both struggled to find out exactly what they are paying for. We contacted Sky. In connection with our first story a spokeswoman said Sky is 'committed to supporting all of its customers. In our efforts to provide fast and efficient customer support, our billing teams have maintained an average call response time of just 58 seconds year-to-date.' 'The customer in question regularly availed of promotional offers as a long-time customer with Sky. However, now that we are aware of the customer's health condition, we believe he would benefit from Sky's dedicated accessibility service, which provides tailored care and alternative contact methods to support customers who may need additional assistance. We have since outreached to the customer to support with this.' And when it came to the second story she said the company was 'sorry to hear about this customer's experience, which was unfortunately due to an initial miscommunication while resolving a technical issue. We have since spoken with the customer to apply the due credit on their account and ensure they are set up correctly.'
Daily Mail
09-06-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
My father-in-law gave us £15,000 towards our home renovation as a Christmas gift... but now he wants the money back - with interest! Help, what do I do? VICKY REYNAL replies
When my father-in-law retired at 70, he gave us a fabulous Christmas present of £15,000 towards our house renovation. It came in a box with a bow and a card that read, 'Our present this year is a contribution towards your home.' Three years later he is asking for the money back (plus interest!), referring to it as 'the loan' from three years ago. I wish I still had the card and that my mother-in-law was alive to back us up. I don't want to ruin the good relationship we have but I don't want to give the gift back either! What do I do?
New York Times
01-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Get Creative
Last May, my father-in-law showed up at my house with a child-size drum set in his trunk. That might make some parents shudder, but I was thrilled. I was a drummer when I was younger, with a set just like this one, and now my 7-year-old son could follow in my footsteps. I've learned two things in the year since. First, you can't force your kids to like the things you like; my son has probably played those drums for 15 minutes total. More important, though, I learned that I wasn't a former drummer. I'm still a drummer. Even though I hadn't engaged that part of my brain in years, my trips downstairs to do laundry now usually include a few minutes bashing on that little drum set. I'm not making beautiful music — just ask my neighbors — but I'm having a great time. Every little session leaves me feeling energized. That spark of creativity is something my colleagues at Well, The Times's personal health and wellness section, think everyone could use more of. Starting tomorrow, they've got a five-day challenge that aims to help readers nurture their creative side. I spoke with Elizabeth Passarella, the writer behind the project, to learn more. After years away from the drums, I've been shocked by how good it feels to make music. Why is that? What you feel is what many of us feel when we do something creative: giddy and inspired. Whether you do something more traditionally creative, like draw or play music, or riff on a recipe because you were out of an ingredient, it gives you a little boost. And there is plenty of research that links creativity to happiness and better moods. Some people reading this are gifted painters and musicians, I'm sure. But others would probably say that they don't have much artistic talent. What would you say to them? You are all creative in some way. There's a definition of creativity that researchers use: generating something novel that is also useful. That could be the score to a movie. It could also be, as one expert told me, a brilliant solution to keeping your dog out of a certain area of your house. Or making up a weird game to play with your toddler. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Tim Dowling: the tortoise has been plotting his escape for more than half a century
A reader writes, asking how I can let my tortoise roam free in my back garden. She'd like to do the same with her adopted tortoise, but is worried it will escape. I explain that my garden is bounded by high brick walls, safely sealing the tortoise in, but that I too am consumed by fear that he will escape. He's very good at hiding, and this always strikes me as a strategy: wait until they think you've already gone, and their guard will drop. Also, he has form: my wife was eight years old when she got the tortoise. After her parents separated he went to live in the country with her father, and promptly escaped. He stayed missing for two years, until a farmer found him while combining in a field a mile south of his last known whereabouts. For 20 years the tortoise lived in a pen with the farmer's sheepdogs, with a white stripe painted on his back to make him easier to spot whenever he got out. At some point in the 1990s the farm was sold, and the tortoise was returned to my father-in-law, who very quickly returned him to my wife. That was nearly 30 years ago, which can make the end result feel like destiny, although probably not from the tortoise's point of view. To him it's just one foiled escape attempt after another. This spring, our oldest son also returned to us: his lease is up, and he has yet to find a new place. When I arrive to pick him up from the flat he's shared with friends for the last two years, his belongings are in bin liners, his furniture piled on stairwell landings. Once he stayed missing for two years, until found in a field a mile south of his last known whereabouts 'It's not usually this messy,' he says. 'Don't worry,' I say. 'This is the only time I'll ever see it.' The car is so full that the last things have to be crammed in and the doors quickly shut before they fall back out. The oldest one rides with a suitcase on his lap, and a potted plant on the floor between his knees. His mother is not thrilled to see all this stuff – another household, essentially – piled up in our hall and living room. 'Lucky for you we're going away,' she says. 'You can figure out how to get it all upstairs before we come back.' 'I will,' he says. 'What's for supper?' We're setting off early in the morning for a long weekend, leaving little time to inculcate a fresh sense of residential responsibility in our new roommate. 'You'll need to get cat food,' my wife says. 'Lock the back door if you go out.' 'OK,' he says. 'I'm expecting a package tomorrow,' I say. 'Do your laundry,' my wife says, 'and keep the kitchen clean.' The next morning the oldest one's stuff is still piled in the hallway – it's easier to pack the car by carrying the bags out through the side door, where I pause to show my wife the repaired fibreoptic cable that restored our internet. 'They even repositioned it so it won't happen again,' I say. 'Are we ready?' she says. 'I want to go before the school traffic starts.' We load the dogs in the car and head off. Somewhere along the M3 we begin to weigh the pros and cons of our new living situation. 'On the one hand, he's a terrible slob,' I say. 'On the other hand, we now have two potato mashers.' 'I'm going to set some ground rules when we get back,' my wife says. 'But it's also good we can go away and feel secure about things,' I say. 'Are you kidding?' she says. 'How secure do you feel right now?' When we arrive at our destination I check the weather in London – it's due to get very hot. I then send a panicky, pleading text to the family WhatsApp group about the seedlings in my office, and their immediate watering needs. Half an hour later I receive a reply from the oldest one. It says: 'where is the key'. I explain about the key – again. Eventually he texts back to say he's now out all day. Then the middle one texts to say he will drop by to water that afternoon. My wife joins in, issuing a brief rebuke to the oldest one and a reminder of his renewed residential responsibilities. 'He's gone very quiet since then,' I say. 'Well, he'll be embarrassed, I hope,' my wife says. We don't receive any kind of reply until late afternoon, when the oldest one finally replies: 'I think you left the side door open,' he writes. 'The tortoise has just been returned to me from across the street.'
