Former Workers’ Party (WP) Member of Parliament (MP) Faisal Manap is now a property agent with ERA Real Estate Singapore.

ERA

In a Facebook post on Sep. 21, Faisal was among four men posing in front of an ERA sign.

“Let's welcome Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap as our latest Associate in #NND #ERASynchroNiceDivision to join ERA,” the caption read.

Checks on ERA’s website revealed that the 51-year-old was working with the company as an associate.

He was apparently registered as a real estate agent on Sep. 16.

Faisal continues to serve as WP’s vice-chairperson.

Training

According to Berita Harian, Faisal is currently under mentorship and gaining experience through on-the-job training.

His new role reportedly offers him flexibility in terms of working hours.

“I have worked in the service sector for nearly 20 years, including as a counsellor and as an MP for 14 years. As such, serving the community has become an integral part of who I am. Therefore, at this juncture, I want to try my hand at the real estate industry,” Faisal told Berita Harian.

Prior to politics, Faisal reportedly worked as a Housing and Development Board (HDB) technical officer from 1998 to 2002.

““This marks a new phase in my life. Just as I did when I was an MP, I always believe in myself and do the best I can within my capabilities. I take a step-by-step approach. In any endeavour, we naturally aim for the best possible outcome,” he reportedly said.

A Sengkang resident was shocked after seeing a group of people selling raw meat at the void deck of Block 107 Rivervale Walk.

The resident, who gave his name as Jamiro, told Mothership that he noticed the group about three times, most recently on Aug. 29.

Videos he took show a group of people gathered around a void deck table as a man chopped meat with a cleaver.

A weighing scale was also displayed.

Concerned

Jamiro said he was worried about food safety, as well as the safety of residents, as the cleaver was used in the open.

He also noted the presence of children, due to a nearby playground.

The resident then went up to the group to question them but was apparently met with no explanation as the group appeared to only speak Mandarin.

In another video, another man, who appeared to be a passer-by, explained to Jamiro that one of the group members had purchased the meat wholesale and was splitting up the meat to resell.

Videos Jamiro took show huge cuts of meat on cardboard around the void deck, with about 12 people gathered around the table.

Jamiro added that he called the police, but was advised to report to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) instead.

Investigation ongoing

In response to Mothership's queries, SFA said officers conducted checks on several occasions for illegal hawking activities at Block 107 Rivervale Walk following feedback.

No sale of food activities was observed during these checks, SFA said.

SFA said it is conducting further investigations and will continue to monitor the situation.

"We will not hesitate to take enforcement action where necessary," the agency said.

Under the Environmental Public Health Act, the hawking of food products in public spaces without a valid licence issued by SFA is not permitted.

SFA added:

"Unregulated street food hawking causes disamenities and poses a risk to public health. Unregulated street hawkers are transitory and cannot be traced if buyers face problems with their purchases. Food sold via illegal hawking may be unsafe, as such food items may not meet SFA’s food safety requirements. Through such modes of sales, these illegal street hawkers are in effect passing risks to the unsuspecting consumer to bear."

Members of the public who come across any suspected illegal hawking of goods and/or food are advised not to patronise them.

They are also advised to make a report via SFA's online feedback form with details for SFA’s follow-up investigations.

Singaporean mixed martial arts (MMA) athlete Tiffany Teo has clinched the gold medal at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya in the traditional 60kg category.

On her Asian Games debut, the 36-year-old competed in the final on Sep. 22 and defeated Uzbekistan's Khilola Sobirova.

This marks Singapore’s first medal at the Games.

First round

In traditional MMA, each round lasts five minutes,

In the first round, both fighters opened aggressively about 15 seconds in and traded punches and kicks.

Teo maintained her position in the middle of the ring, while Sobirova circled around it.

At one point, Teo was seen gesturing towards Sobirova to come to the centre of the ring, a reference to UFC fighter Max Holloway’s iconic gesture, which was noted by the commentator.

This prompted the Uzbek to feint an attack before retreating to the ring's perimeter.

In the last 30 seconds of the first round, Teo went for a takedown, and both fighters fought for control.

Second round

In the second round, Teo continued to maintain pressure on Sobirova.

The Uzbek continued to “work from the outside”.

The commentators also noted that the Uzbek smiled a lot.

The Singaporean then went for a second takedown and pushed Sobirova out of the ring.

About four minutes and 32 seconds into the second round, Sobirova took Teo down and gained control of her, leading to a submission that paused the round.

Singapore appealed against it as there were “awkward positions” from Sobirova that led to "strikes to the back of the head", which is a foul in combat sports.

The officials allowed the round to resume, and both fighters became more assertive in trading strikes.

At one point, Teo landed a clean punch on the Uzbek’s torso.

“She (Soriova) might be smiling, but that one tagged her,” a commentator remarked.

As the round neared its end, both sides’ coaches cheered for their fighters.

Both fighters were bloodied and bruised.

Overtime

Both fighters won one round each, which led to a one-minute overtime.

In overtime, Teo tackled Sobirova to the ground in the first 10 seconds and maintained control over the Uzbek throughout.

“She (Teo) is exactly where she wants to be,” the commentators said.

Victory

Teo subsequently was declared the winner.

“That is the culmination of years and years and years for Tiffany Teo, that has got to be the crowning jewel for what is essentially Southeast Asian MMA royalty,” the commentators said.

She broke into tears in front of her husband and coach, Sim Kai Xiong.

Sim carried his wife on his shoulders and ran around the ring as Teo held the Singapore flag.

Teo's victory avenged the loss to the Uzbek in the final of the 2026 Asian Mixed Martial Arts Championships in May 2026.

According to the Major Games Award Programme (MAP) incentive scheme payout to reward medal winners, Teo is entitled to S$200,000.

In the aftermath of the Megan Khung case, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) has set up a new unit that helps child protection officers act earlier.

The four-year-old Singaporean girl died in 2020 after more than a year of abuse at the hands of her mother and her boyfriend.

A subsequent review found instances of "lack of clear communication" among agencies, and two breaches of protocol by police officers involved in the case.

Megan's case would have been flagged 3 times

The new unit, SAFER (Sensemaking Alerts for Frontline Engagement and Response), is part of MSF's efforts to strengthen the child protection ecosystem in Singapore following the case.

It applies to children under seven years old where there are child protection concerns.

Launched in June 2026, the unit comes on the back of recommendations by a review panel, and provides frontline professionals with more information to allow them to better assess whether to render support earlier.

Had SAFER been implemented, Megan's case would have been flagged for review at least three times, up to five months before her death, MSF said.

These instances would have been:

• Between Mar. 19 and Apr. 9, 2019, upon the sighting of Megan's injuries and the preschool's report to the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline (NAVH)
• Between Sep. 5 and Sep. 17, 2019, when Megan stopped attending preschool and was subsequently withdrawn
• In January 2020, when Megan's grandmother made a police report

So how does it work?

Speaking to the media about the new unit, Senior Minister of State for Social and Family Development Mr Goh Pei Ming said SAFER comprises professionals who have child protection experience.

These professionals will assess relevant information from different agencies, including arrest records for drug offences, sexual offences, police reports, preschool attendance, and household information.

They can then flag potential child safety concerns to MSF's protective service (PSV) or relevant agencies' case managers, who can in turn quickly follow up with the child if needed.

Upon receiving an alert from SAFER, MSF can conduct risk-screening and information gathering within a target of three working days.

If there are concerns, the case will be escalated for triage. Actions include increasing support if risks have become more serious, or reviewing safety plans regarding new family developments.

In the event of immediate safety concerns, the Domestic Violence Emergency Response Team will be deployed promptly to provide support on-site, MSF said.

"Every case of child abuse is one case too many," Goh said.

"The sooner concerns are identified and acted on, the better the chances of keeping our children safe and supporting our families."

SAFER allowed for faster intervention in 70 cases

According to MSF, child protection faces two key gaps presently.

Firstly, risks are only detected after harm occurs; and secondly, escalating risks for known cases may not be identified in time due to fragmented information.

SAFER fills these gaps by flagging potentially destabilising forces in a household so that preventive action can be taken.

For example, if a police report was made about a child getting hurt.

In the first two months of operations, SAFER allowed MSF and its partners to intervene more promptly in 70 cases.

The system discovered one case that was referred for early support, escalated another for statutory intervention, and identified 68 cases that needed a review of safety plans and the strengthening of existing support.

Follows MSF's steps to strengthen child protection ecosystem

SAFER's implementation follows MSF's commitment in parliament in November 2025 to set up a social services coordination centre.

According to the media release, this is part of follow-up actions taken to strengthen the child protection ecosystem following recommendations from a review panel appointed by MSF in May 2025.

As previously reported, the sentencing for Megan's case took place on Apr. 3, 2025.

MSF has largely implemented the review panel's recommendations, including the designation of Child Protection Case Management agencies, the launch of the Protection Practitioners Care Fund, and the establishment of the Triage Assessment Panel.

The remaining measures will be fully implemented in 2027.

MSF further noted that the public has a part to play in looking out for children and families who may be struggling.

Members of the public can report suspected abuse through the National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline at 1800-777-0000.

Celebrity couple Hong Ling and Nick Teo are pregnant with their first child.

The pair took to Instagram on Sep. 22 to share the happy news with a heartfelt video.

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Hong Ling (@honglingg_)

New addition to family

Hong and Teo started the video by introducing the members of their family.

After introducing the three kitties, they brought up their latest addition, with Hong holding up some ultrasound images.

The video then showed the exact moment when they found out the good news.

The couple had taken the pregnancy test in an airport toilet a few months ago.

The couple shared a tight embrace after the test revealed Hong was pregnant.

Teo said that he had been terrified, and later teared up in joy.

The pair, who had married in 2023, had experienced a miscarriage in May 2025.

“Our family is finally growing by one little member,” the couple wrote in the caption.

“A gift from God, more beautiful than we could have imagined. Baby Teo coming soon.”

A pregnant woman in Singapore who was allegedly forced to resign while on maternity leave has won her case, with the magistrate finding it to be a case of wrongful dismissal.

Her boss had suggested that her position be terminated after her pregnancy, explaining that she "did not fit into his vision" for the new team.

This was despite her having received positive feedback for her performance prior to going on maternity leave, according to the September 2026 judgment.

The woman, C, was awarded S$19,800 in compensation by the Employment Claims Tribunal (ECT).

This consisted of three months' wages and another three months' pay for harm caused, the maximum award for the ECT's jurisdictional limit.

Told director she was expecting

C joined the company as an executive on Apr. 21, 2021. She was drawing a monthly salary of S$3,300 when her employment ended.

In March 2023, her unit came under a new director, EC.

A month after EC joined the team, she had a one-on-one lunch with EC, during which she told him that she was pregnant with her baby due in October.

During the lunch, she told EC she was considering whether to take a few months of sabbatical leave to care for her newborn.

She did so in accordance with the company's HR handbook, the court heard.

Performance described as 'excellent'

On Jul. 19, 2023, C was commended for her work ethic during her performance appraisal meeting with her immediate supervisor, JY; her new director, EC; and the previous director, JC.

JY described her performance and work ethic as "excellent". EC concurred that her performance was good and she had demonstrated a "strong work ethic".

On Sep. 12, 2023, C submitted her maternity leave form.

She left the date fields left blank, as her child's birthdate was not known.

She also informed HR that she was still thinking about whether to apply for sabbatical leave.

Told that new boss wasn't keen on having her back

On Sep. 13, 2023, the day after submitting the form, C was hospitalised due to pregnancy-related complications.

At the time, C was 36 weeks pregnant and in her final trimester.

She informed HR that she would be going on hospitalisation leave due to complications.

On Sep. 18, 2023, her direct superior, JY, messaged her saying that EC "[wasn't] keen on having [her] back".

JY testified that she had sent the message because she had gotten the impression from EC that C "would be told to go" upon her return from maternity leave.

EC texts her repeatedly asking for a call

On Oct. 2, 2023, C got a WhatsApp message from EC in which he asked for a call "regarding the plans after".

She asked what it would be about as she wished to focus on her pregnancy and not think about her work. He repeated his earlier message.

The next day, EC sent another message saying the "quick chat" would not take longer than 10 minutes.

C eventually agreed.

They spoke the following morning, and the call was recorded by C's husband.

According to C, she was essentially told:

• She did not fit into EC's new vision for his team,
• Her employment would be terminated immediately after her maternity leave,
• She would have to undergo an interview and be re-assessed by EC as to her suitability to rejoin the team if she wished to return to work.

Prior to the call, C had decided not to take sabbatical leave after all, and planned to return to work right after her maternity leave ended.

EC was also already aware of this fact, as it was brought up during the phone call, the court heard.

Asked to go back to office

Subsequently, C was also asked by HR to attend the office for a meeting.

But she declined, stating that she wished to focus on her health and pregnancy at the time.

She also pointed out that she was on hospitalisation leave at the time.

"If [EC] does choose to terminate [me] after [my] leave ends, then [I] would like it in black and white as I would like to start looking for a job as soon as [I am] able to," she added.

HR did not reply.

C remained on hospitalisation leave until Oct. 11, 2023, when she gave birth to her firstborn.

Her maternity leave commenced on the same day and was scheduled to end on Jan. 25, 2024.

A day later, C re-submitted her maternity form with the date fields completed and informed HR by email that she would be commencing her maternity leave.

Resigned

On Dec. 21, 2023, C resigned with one-month's notice.

She subsequently brought a claim to the ECT, seeking compensation for her dismissal, which she alleged was on account of her pregnancy.

In its stated reasons for the dismissal, the company argued that EC had simply been seeking to clarify C's plans after her maternity leave, based on C's earlier expression of interest in taking sabbatical leave.

The company contended that the call was made in good faith, and that EC had merely suggested that "it would be cleaner to terminate the employment after maternity".

But Tribunal Magistrate Lee Li Choon said that as C had not submitted any formal application or indication for sabbatical or no-pay leave, the company had no reason to make the unsolicited phone call through EC.

The magistrate added that the company's "communication effectively conveyed to her that she was not worthy of continued employment simply because she was giving birth and going on maternity leave".

"Degrading and deeply insensitive"

Based on the facts, the magistrate concluded that the company had the intention of terminating C's employment when EC spoke to JY on Sep. 18, 2023, the same day the heads-up text was sent.

Lee said she was satisfied that C showed she did not resign voluntarily, but was compelled to do so by the company's communications through EC.

Regarding the aggravating factors, Lee noted that C was informed of her impending termination "in a manner that was both degrading and deeply insensitive".

"This would have caused her tremendous anxiety about her financial situation and job security during an exceptionally vulnerable period in her life."

The magistrate added that the case sheds light "on the kind of adverse workplace culture that working women who choose to have children may encounter from certain employers".

Under Singapore's Employment Act 1968, a dismissal includes an employee's resignation if the employee can show that the resignation was not voluntary but compelled by the employer's conduct or omission.

Xi Jinping will be visiting the United States from Sep. 23 to 25, making a reciprocal visit after U.S. President Donald Trump's trip to Beijing earlier in 2026.

What's on the agenda, and what does this say about the state of the U.S.-China relationship?

The itinerary

Xi’s visit to the U.S. is the first since 2023 and is his first state visit since 2015.

This visit appears to be tightly focused on discussions between the two presidents, with the itinerary providing very little time for other events.

During his 2023 visit, Xi and Biden found time to compare cars; during his 2015 state visit, Xi kicked it off by visiting the West Coast of the U.S. first.

But for the upcoming visit, Xi will be flying directly to Washington, D.C., where it is expected that Trump will meet him on the tarmac.

The optics of this decision, should it come to pass, are odd; U.S. presidents rarely meet foreign visitors as they get off the plane.

When Trump visited Beijing in May 2026, he was greeted by China’s vice president Han Zheng, a former member of the Politburo Standing Committee, not to mention a legion of flag-waving children, honour guard, and other dignitaries.

Breaking protocol

The Independent notes that Trump will be present at Andrews Air Force Base on Sep. 23 to meet Xi, a "rare departure from protocol".

Xi will also enjoy a U.S. honour guard.

This also means that Xi will be eschewing other events on his visit, and it was earlier confirmed that he would not be addressing the United Nations General Assembly, despite the timing of his visit seeming to coincide with the gathering.

Xi will also be bringing along a large delegation of Chinese business leaders, including executives from car maker BYD and Xiaomi.

This more closely mirrors Trump's May visit, when he was joined on this trip by high-powered tech executives, including Nvidia's Jensen Huang, Elon Musk, and then Apple CEO Tim Cook.

A state dinner is slated to be held in honour of Xi’s visit, and like in Beijing, the invite list consists of the U.S.’s top executives, such as JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon and OpenAI’s Sam Altman.

What’s on the agenda?

The visit's agenda will largely be a continuation of previous discussions, with trade and artificial intelligence likely to be the most critical topics.

Trade

A report by the World Economic Forum notes that the temporary, year-long tariff truce negotiated in Busan in 2025 will expire in November, but neither side is eager to return to tariff escalation and trade war.

Over the weekend, China’s vice premier He Lifeng met with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in New York, a critical pre-visit discussion.

Xinhua describes the talks as “candid, in-depth, and constructive”, and that they “engaged in exchanges on important economic and trade issues of common concern”, and the “Implementation of consensus reached in previous talks.”

Xinhua was referring to the Board of Trade mechanism first discussed in May talks, which the BBC said was a plan to “operationalise” a process to identify potential goods for which already existing tariffs could be cut.

The AFP, via Yahoo Finance, reports that in the U.S. the current effective tariff rate on goods coming from China is about 22.8 per cent.

On some items, such as steel and aluminium, the rate is as high as 40.5 per cent, the highest rate currently charged.

Prior to the Busan “truce”, the U.S. was threatening to levy rates as high as 145 per cent, with China threatening to match them with 125 per cent reciprocal rates.

AI

The other major agenda item is Artificial Intelligence.

The Financial Times reports that both countries agreed to set up an AI dialogue, with Bloomberg reporting that Bessent had described it as a “notification mechanism between the two countries” to discuss shared concerns.

Such notifications were for incidents or situations that rise "up to a national security level from AI.”

Despite warnings of the dangers posed by AI in recent weeks, sometimes from current and former leaders within companies like Anthropic and OpenAI, both Trump and China remain optimistic about AI’s future.

Trump has called concerns a “hoax” and rejected calls to slow the pace of development of AI.

A foreign affairs spokesperson for China called the warnings “fearmongering.”

There remains a large amount of common ground between the two countries despite fierce disagreements on the specifics.

Previsit visits

The focus that Xi and his team have given to the visit, with seemingly no other distractions, implies the seriousness of the discussions.

Most of the points of agreement appear to be ways of making sure communication between the two sides is clear.

But Xi has also spent the past two weeks on a pre-state visit global tour, visiting Kyrgyzstan for a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting, Egypt, highlighting its growing influence in Central Asia and the Middle East, and attending a BRICS summit in India.

While in New Delhi, his speech at some points seemed like a veiled prod at U.S. trade and foreign policy, saying that “Decoupling and cutting off supply chains will not hold back our development process.”

He attacked the “small yard high fences” view of the world, saying that it would only “box oneself in and divide the world”.

While being less pointed about the situation in the Middle East, Xi called the Iran War “against the common interest of the international community.”

Trump’s own desire to highlight how highly he thinks of Xi, of which meeting him directly after his arrival is one sign, shows that the relationship remains of utmost importance to both countries, even if they wished otherwise.

A 41-year-old Singaporean man was charged on Sep. 15 for trafficking etomidate vaporiser pods.

Ho Joo Hong is facing one charge under the Tobacco and Vaporisers Control Act 1993 (TVCA).

On Sep. 13, he was caught allegedly making transactions with two individuals at a staircase landing of an HDB block in Bukit Batok.

Health Sciences Authority (HSA) officers searched his residence and seized 24 vaporisers and 19 pods.

In charge sheets seen by Mothership, 18 vaporiser pods containing liquids were analysed and were found to contain etomidate.

They were allegedly intended for supply.

Ho was remanded for a week to assist with further investigations.

The case was mentioned again on Sep. 22.

The case has been adjourned to Nov. 3.

The other two individuals are also assisting with investigations.

Under TVCA, etomidate and its analogues are listed as Specified Psychoactive Substances in the Schedule.

Convicted importers are liable to a jail term of three to 20 years and five to 15 strokes of the cane.

Convicted suppliers are liable to two to 10 years’ jail and two to five strokes of the cane.

A 67-year-old man was fined S$5,000 after throwing a mixture of urine and faeces outside a neighbour's unit.

Martin Chua Kim Soon pleaded guilty to two counts of insulting behaviour under the Protection from Harassment Act, reported CNA.

Suspected victim had punctured his tyres

Martin Chua Kim Soon was a private-hire driver with TADA who lived at Bukit Batok Central at the time of the offences.

According to court documents seen by Mothership, he had suspected that the victim, a 73-year-old lorry driver, had punctured his vehicle’s tyres.

In retaliation, he threw a mixture of urine and faeces outside the victim’s unit.

This happened twice on Apr. 28 at around 2am and on May 4 at about 3am.

The victim was alarmed to discover the substance and called “999” both times to report that someone had poured “smelly stuff” outside his unit.

According to court documents, the two are not known to each other.

Chua was arrested on May 4 at about 8:05pm.

He was fined S$5,000 in court on Sep. 22 and has since paid the fine in full.

Singaporean Tiffany Teo, 36, is on the cusp of winning an Asian Games gold medal in the women's mixed martial arts (MMA) traditional 60kg category.

She beat Suchika Tariyal from India on Sep. 21 at the Nagoya City Inae Sports Center in Japan to make history.

Teo beat Arezou Salimighalehtaki from Iran 3-0 in the quarter-finals.

She will meet Khilola Sobirova from Uzbekistan on Sep. 22.

Teo is guaranteed at least a silver medal by reaching the finals.

It is Singapore's first medal in the sport at the Games.

Both losing semi-finalists are awarded bronze medals.

Controversial end

However, the match ended in controversy.

The Indian fighter refused to accept the loss at the end of the semi-final bout.

This was after regulation time ended in a draw.

The 1-minute overtime was then awarded 2–1 to Teo.

India protested and arbitration later ruled the bout a tie.

But under tournament rules, a draw is awarded in favour of the lighter athlete.

Teo weighed 700g lighter than Suchika, India media explained.

Indian Semi-Finalist Suchika refuses to accept loss in MMA at Asian Games 2026 against Singaporean Player

Suchika lost a dramatic semifinal to Singapore’s Tiffany Teo after regulation time ended in a draw.

The 1-minute overtime was initially awarded 2–1 to Teo. India protested,… pic.twitter.com/nOU2HkrGBd

— Mogambo (@Netajinonsense1) September 22, 2026

MMA makes debut at Asian Games

This is the first Asian Games to feature MMA.

The other five new sports to debut at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games are freestyle BMX, padel, surfing, teqball and virtual taekwondo.