A French TV presenter has apologised after publicly criticising Belgium winger Jeremy Doku for wanting to leave the World Cup to be present at the birth of his first child.

Doku, 24, who plays for Manchester City, revealed to reporters that his wife Shireen is due to give birth in the second week of July. This will coincide with the quarter-final stage of the tournament, according to The Independent.

He told Reuters he would want to be there regardless.

He told Reuters:

"It depends on when it happens, but it's my first child, so I would definitely want to be there. If you ask me what I want, my answer is that nobody wants to miss the birth of their first child. But I also know that football involves many other considerations."

Belgian media reported that plans are being made for Doku to travel home via private jet if needed, The Independent reported.

Presenter called birth a "disgusting moment"

The comments drew an unexpected backlash, not against Doku, but against Channel L'Equipe presenter France Pierron, who posted on social media criticising his decision.

She wrote:

"The World Cup is an incredible joy. There are hundreds of footballers who would kill to be in your shoes. It might never happen again in your life. It's a childhood dream you're living, and you're going to walk away from all that to go witness the birth of your child, which is a disgusting moment, excuse me, where the dad is totally useless. There are guys who took out loans just to come watch the match, and you, you're skipping it just to cut an umbilical cord."

The post drew hundreds of comments, with the overwhelming majority siding with Doku, according to Financial Review.

Retired French Olympic boxer Brahim Asloum was among those who responded, writing:

"A baby is your entire life. A World Cup is over when it is over."

Watkins: "Not anyone else's business"

England striker Ollie Watkins, a father of two, also came to Doku's defence.

He said:

"I think for a start [disgusting] is not a way to label a birth. It only happens once, your first child. Welcoming them into the world is a blessing, and you don't get that opportunity [again]. There's a lot of times where you're away from family and friends during the season, and it's very difficult periods. So, to miss that would be tough."

Watkins added that Doku would have plenty of support to make the trip back and return as quickly as possible, and that ultimately the decision was nobody else's to make.

Presenter issues apology

Faced with the backlash, Pierron issued an apology on X.

She wrote:

"I was expressing a personal opinion, within the framework of a debate. I was expressing a personal opinion, within the context of a contentious exchange. These remarks commit only me and in no way reflect a collective position. I understand that they may have shocked, hurt, or wounded some of you, and I am sorry for that. My intention has never been to minimize the place or role of fathers with their partner and their child."

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Dokss ✝️ (@jeremydoku)

A 72-year-old man has lost a lawsuit brought by his youngest brother over their share of the family home in Eunos, a property valued at S$9 million according to The Straits Times (ST).

According to a judgement paper made available on Jun. 16, Lim Sze Eng, the eldest of eight children, was sued by 61-year-old Lin Tze Kin, the youngest sibling, after he refused to honour their late mother's wishes for her half-share of the property to be sold and the proceeds distributed.

Background

Their late mother, Tan Ah Kar, became the sole owner of the property after her husband died in 1992.

According to ST, the other siblings moved out, but Sze Eng continued to live there with his wife, children and grandchildren.

In 2008, Lim brought his mother to a lawyer's office, where she signed documents transferring half of the house to him and his wife.

Four years later, in 2012, Tan drew up a will leaving her remaining half-share of the property to Lin and his two sons, with her other assets to be split equally among all eight children.

Following her death in 2023, Lim demanded that Lin hand over their mother's half-share of the house to him, claiming that he and his wife had purchased the entire property for S$570,000 in 1992.

This prompted Lin and his wife to take legal action, seeking a declaration over Tan's half-share of the home as well as her portion of proceeds from two shop units at Far East Plaza, which Lim had retained.

Judge rejected claim

According to the judgement, the judge ruled against Lim, finding no documentary proof that such a sale agreement existed, or that he and his wife had paid S$570,000 for the property using their own funds.

"There is no documentary evidence to support the existence of the agreement or that the defendants paid, out of their own monies, S$570,000 for the property pursuant to the purported agreement."

She also found that the couple had fabricated their account of how the money was raised.

Defendant's case

Lim told the court that his mother had feared the property, which was pledged as collateral against an overdraft facility, would be force-sold, as she could not keep up with the loan's interest payments.

He claimed that, as such, she asked him and his wife to buy the property for S$570,000 in 1993, to which they agreed.

According to him, the couple raised the funds by selling two properties in Taiwan and used the proceeds to clear the loan.

He added that there was no written record of the arrangement due to the close relationship between him and his mother.

Lim had produced two cheque deposit slips as evidence, but the judge noted these did not indicate the account from which the funds were drawn.

There was also no proof that the Taiwan properties had been sold in 1993.

Lim said he could not provide bank records or a sales agreement for the Taiwan properties due to the passage of time.

However, the judge was unconvinced, noting that he had retained other documents dating back to 1993, including an advertisement and service reports.

She also pointed out that the couple had taken no action to formally transfer any share of the property to themselves for more than 14 years after the alleged payment, which supported the conclusion that no such agreement had existed.

Recorded conversations presented as evidence

During the trial, Lin and his wife submitted video recordings of conversations between Tan and two of her daughters, taken between 2010 and 2022.

In one recording, Tan said she had transferred half of the property to Lim to honour her late husband's wishes, adding that she feared he would make her life difficult if she refused, given that they lived together.

"... and if I didn’t sign it to him, he would make my life miserable, we live together every day, I would be unable to eat or sleep."

Court's decision

In her will, Tan stated that her half-share of the house should be sold, with 60 per cent of the proceeds going to Lin and the remaining 40 per cent split equally between his two sons.

Her other assets were to be divided equally among all eight children.

The judge ordered the house to be sold, granting Lim and his wife the first option to purchase Tan's half-share.

She noted that it would be unfair to Lin's family if the property remained unsold while Lim's family continued living there, whereas Lim's family could use their share of the proceeds to purchase another home.

The proceeds were ordered to be split equally between both parties, with a portion of Lin's share, tentatively assessed at about S$305,000, set aside as reimbursement to Lim for renovation costs he had incurred.

On the Far East Plaza shop units, the court found that Tan held a 10.67 per cent stake in the properties, which were sold for S$3.78 million in 2007.

The judge ordered Lim to pay the estate 10.67 per cent of the net sale proceeds, along with an account of Tan's share of rental income from July 2004 onwards.

The court also dismissed Lim's counterclaim for S$1.5 million, which he alleged he had given to his mother for safekeeping.

A 56-year-old woman was found dead at the foot of Block 227 Bukit Batok Central on Jun. 21.

In response to Mothership's queries, the police confirmed they were alerted to a case of fall from height at 4:10pm.

A 56-year-old woman was found lying motionless at the said location and was pronounced dead at scene by an SCDF paramedic.

Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Helplines

If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

• National mindline.sg Hotline: 1771 (24 hours)
• National mindline.sg WhatsApp: 66691771 (24 hours)
• SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767
• Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
• Centre for Domestic Employees: 1800 225 5233 (24 hours)
• Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training: 1800 339 4357 (24 hours)
• HOME (migrant worker): +65 6341 5535 (WhatsApp / Viber / SMS)
• HOME (domestic worker): +65 9787 3122 (WhatsApp / SMS / Call)
• SHECARES@SCWO: Call: 8001 01 4616 | WhatsApp: 8985 5528 (For targets of online harms)
• National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline (NAVH): 1800-777-0000

The police are searching for a van driver involved in a hit-and-run accident on the Central Expressway (CTE) on Jun. 21 while travelling against the flow of traffic.

The police said they were alerted to the accident involving a van and a car at about 4:10am on Jun. 21 on the CTE towards Ayer Rajah Expressway (AYE).

The van driver left the scene before officers arrived.

No injuries were reported.

The police added that they are trying to locate the van driver.

What footage showed

Dashcam footage from the car showed a black van travelling against the flow of traffic on the right-most lane of the expressway.

The van flashed its high-beam headlights as the car approached it.

The car swerved to its left to avoid a head-on collision.

However, the car and the van appeared to collide as rear camera footage showed debris falling on the road.

The van came to a halt near the road divider.

The car stopped on the road shoulder.

The van then moved off against the flow of traffic.

Police said that investigations are ongoing.

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has responded to a video showing a diner picking up food that had fallen onto a hawker centre table and eating it.

The agency, in a Jun. 21 LinkedIn post, urged the public not to do the same.

SFA wrote: "C’mon, please don’t do this 😥 Once food is dropped on an unclean tabletop, the surface of the food item would have been contaminated by bacteria.

And there is no such thing as the “three second rule” either..."

Video of diner eating food off table

A TikTok video, posted on May 27, showed a diner using chopsticks to pick up food from a hawker centre table and putting it in her mouth.

She appeared to drop the food once, only to pick it up again.

The original poster captioned the video: "Would you put your food on the table, like on a plate, even though you've already cleared it?"

Opinions divided

The clip was reshared on Reddit where it drew a range of reactions.

Some were disgusted, while others were more forgiving.

One commenter joked that the diner was building up her immune system.

Another said they would not do it outside but might do so at home.

A woman posted a video on Jun. 15 on social media claiming that she caught a man livestreaming her on an MRT train.

She posted the video as a warning to fellow commuters.

She also shared her experience about lodging a police report regarding the incident in a follow-up video on Jun. 16.

What happened

According to her initial video, the incident occurred while she was travelling on the East-West Line from Tuas Link.

She first noticed the man and his behavior when the train arrived at Gul Circle MRT station, though she was unsure when he had boarded.

The woman claimed the man was holding his phone in a "sketchy" manner, with the camera lens continuously pointed in her direction.

Unsure if he was actually filming her and hesitant to cause a misunderstanding, she decided to record him back to see how he would react.

Although the man noticed her filming and appeared "guilty," he apparently continued to smirk.

When she prepared to alight from the train, she looked over his shoulder through the window to catch a glimpse of his phone screen.

It was then that she discovered that the man was allegedly running a livestream, with the camera pointed directly at the seat she had just vacated.

The woman considered confronting him, but ultimately decided to leave the train immediately to avoid staying in the same cabin.

Follow-up

Encouraged by the prodding of online commenters, the woman proceeded to a police station to report the matter.

However, she said she learned from the officers there that if she wished to pursue the matter further, she would have to take it to court and bear her own legal fees.

As her intention was to seek an investigation for public safety, she said she then chose to visit a different police station, where an officer recorded the details of the incident.

The officer reassured her that such behaviour should indeed be reported and advised her on the proper protocols.

The woman said she is currently awaiting further updates.

Reflecting on the incident, she urged fellow commuters to immediately inform MRT staff before reporting to the police if they ever encounter similar situations.

She added that she hoped sharing her experience would help others learn how to protect themselves.

A driver of a Tesla car engaged in autopilot mode crashed into a house in Texas on the night of Jun. 19 and killed a 76-year-old woman inside.

According to The New York Times (NYT), the driver, Michael Butler, 44, was in a Tesla Model 3 at about 8pm local time.

In a statement on Jun. 20, U.S. authorities from the Harris County Sheriff's Office said Butler was operating the car "with an automated driving assistance system".

In a Facebook post, the victim's daughter shared front-door camera footage, which captured the crash, showing the Tesla crashing into the house.

Struck the residence

U.S. authorities said Butler "failed to drive in a single lane, left the roadway, and struck the residence” at 1907 Blooming Park Lane.

Butler's Tesla reportedly "entered through the brick residence at a high rate of speed" and struck and pinned down Martha Avila, who was inside, said the sheriff's office.

She was taken to the hospital by a medical helicopter, where she was later pronounced dead, reported NYT.

Butler showed no signs of intoxication and was cooperative throughout the investigation, which is still ongoing, said authorities.

Harris County Sheriff’s Office's Alex Turman told ABC13 Houston, "We’re still evaluating what caused that car to fail to control its speed just before this crash".

Unclear how fast Tesla was travelling

According to KHOU11, Avila, a grandmother, was standing inside the front room of the home when the vehicle crashed into the wall.

Avila's daughter, Jennifer Barbour, told KHOU11 that she was in the backyard when she heard a loud boom.

She added, “I don’t know if it’s his fault or the car’s fault or what really happened."

"I’ve never seen a car go that fast.”

KHOU11 reported that Butler was also taken to a hospital.

In multiple Facebook posts, Barbour shared videos showing the aftermath of the crash, with the front room of the home in complete disarray.

Previous issues with autopilot function

Tesla's driver-assistance technology, more commonly known as its autopilot function, has had prior issues.

According to the NYT, Tesla owners' manuals instructs drivers to keep their hands on the wheel and to take over if things go wrong.

Tesla also recalled more than two million vehicles in 2023 after U.S. federal regulators said not enough was done to ensure that drivers remained attentive when using the software.

The recall followed investigations by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that began in August 2021.

In 2024, Tesla also settled a lawsuit over the 2018 death of a California man, which involved the automaker's driver-assistance software.

Local filmmaker Jack Neo announced in a Facebook post on Jun. 21 that a casting call is officially open for his upcoming movie, "Ah Boys to Firemen".

The audition is open to both males and females of all races, aged between 20 and 30 years old.

Interested applicants will need to upload a video of themselves on social media.

Audition details

Interested applicants are required to upload a 30-second to one-minute video of themselves acting out a scene on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok.

Auditionees must tag J Team Productions and mm2 Entertainment, and include the hashtags #AhBoysToFiremen and #ABTF2027.

There are four scene options to choose from, which can be performed in English, Mandarin, or both:

• Scene 1: Your mother discovering that you have been hiding your occupation from her.
• Scene 2: Confronting a cheating partner.
• Scene 3: Witnessing an accident where your friends rush to help, but you hesitate out of fear.
• Scene 4: Explaining and apologising for a mistake to a teammate.

Prior acting experience is not required, though it will be considered a bonus.

Selected applicants will be contacted for a second round of auditions.

The film

Since the first film in the series was released in 2012, the "Ah Boys To Men" franchise has followed the journeys of full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) through their mandatory two-year military service across different vocations.

The franchise currently consists of four films: Ah Boys To Men (2012), Ah Boys To Men 2 (2013), Ah Boys To Men 3: Frogmen (2015) and Ah Boys To Men 4 (2017).

The film is slated for release in time for the Chinese New Year 2027.

A Singaporean family is appealing for eyewitnesses after their son was allegedly hit by an airport buggy at South Korea's Incheon International Airport.

In an Instagram post on Jun. 18, Khoo Boon Wee, father of three, said the incident occurred the previous day while the family was waiting to board Korean Air flight KE645 back to Singapore.

According to Khoo, his son Kyle had gone to the toilet by himself while the rest of the family looked after their other children nearby.

As neither parent witnessed the incident, they are now seeking passengers who may have seen what happened.

Suffered concussion and facial injuries

Khoo said the accident left Kyle with multiple injuries, including a concussion and facial injuries.

Medical scans conducted in South Korea apparently found that Kyle had sustained a fracture of his right orbital roof, which is located at the top of the eye socket, as well as other facial injuries.

Photos attached by Khoo showed the young boy with a bandage on his head and arm, several bruises on his face and a black eye.

According to Khoo, Korean Air staff were "prompt to react" after the incident and offered assistance, including accompanying the family to the hospital, arranging accommodation, and alternative flights.

Allegedly declined to provide accident report

However, Khoo alleged that the airline declined to provide an official accident report documenting the incident.

Khoo said the family wanted a formal report so they could request that Incheon Airport preserve CCTV footage of the incident in case Kyle's condition worsened.

He also claimed that airline staff insisted that their "liability is limited to their goodwill gesture in Korea", but that they "cannot be liable for the expenses in Singapore".

"As they showed genuine interest and care at the start, we thought they were going to be responsible till the end, hence we only decided on the quickest way back home once Kyle was medically approved to travel back," he wrote.

Khoo reiterated his appeal for witnesses who may have seen the incident near Gate 221 to contact him or his wife, Jeslyn Lee, through Facebook.

Protecting against future effects

Khoo wrote in further Instagram stories that he will be seeking claims from their travel insurance but explained that they should still get an incident report so they can seek a resolution for any "permanent or future effects of the trauma attributed to the accident".

He also explained that they did not call the police immediately in Korea, as "everything happened quickly" and they were tending to Kyle first.

"Kyle usually needs the least attention, but he ran to me immediately after impact and he was shivering in my embrace for 40mins until the flight left," he wrote.

The Korean Air staff guided them out of the customs and called a taxi to bring them to the hospital, he said.

This was after airport paramedics assessed that Kyle did not need an ambulance.

They were then arranged to take the next flight out to Singapore the next day at 1:50pm (Korean time).

When Khoo tried to report the incident at the airport the next day, they were directed back to the Korean Air staff, who allegedly got defensive and asked why they thought the airline was at fault.

She allegedly added that Kyle was already looking "so much better" that day.

As Khoo didn't want to extend the trip any longer for the family of six, he decided to get back home as soon as possible without managing to make a police report.

Korean Air's response

In response to Mothership's queries, Korean Air said on Jun. 19 that it is currently investigating the circumstances of the incident.

"We will respond to the customer's requests upon completing our internal review," the airline said.

Mothership has reached out to Khoo for more information.

Top image via okayden on Instagram

A fire broke out at a seventh floor condominium unit in Geylang on the evening of Jun. 21.

The incident occurred after an unattended e-bike battery caught fire.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force said it received a report at about 5:35pm on Jun. 21.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the fire originated from an e-bike battery that was being charged in the living room of a seventh-floor unit of Casa Aerata condominium at 9 Lorong 26 Geylang.

Upon arrival, SCDF officers used one fire hose and a compressed air foam backpack to extinguish the blaze.

As a safety measure, the police and SCDF evacuated five residents from neighbouring units.

No injuries were reported.

In a video posted by Bishan–Toa Payoh GRC MP Cai Yonzhou on Facebook, the fire engulfed the unit.

According to the post caption, the area below the burning unit was cleared “in anticipation of the window which eventually smashed from the heat”.

“Fire has been put out, hope everyone is okay”, Cai wrote.