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.

Najib has begun crowdfunding money from Malaysians in a bid to avoid jail.

The former prime minister of Malaysia, who is 73 this year, was recently granted permission to serve the remainder of his jail sentence under house arrest, reported Reuters.

As part of the terms, Najib must pay a RM50 million (S$15.6 million) fine.

He has turned to the public to raise the money, beginning his crowdfunding efforts on Sep. 19 2026.

Fundraiser

The pardons board, which was chaired by the Agong (King) of Malaysia, Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar of Johor, decreed the conditional pardon on Sep. 18 2026.

Following the announcement, the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), Najib's political party, released posts on social media calling for supporters to rally around Najib.

Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki, the general secretary of UMNO, shared UMNO's bank details and encouraged supporters to donate to help Najib pay off the fine.

According to a subsequent Facebook post by Asyraf, the fund collected RM634,562 (S$198,499) in the first three hours.

He added that most donors gave sums between RM10 to RM50 (S$3.10 to S$15.60).

Fundraiser necessary

The New Straits Times reported that Najib's lawyers have put out a media release to explain why the fundraiser was necessary.

As per their statement, a significant part of Najib's assets and monies are currently frozen while government proceedings are ongoing.

He is therefore unable to pay off the fine with his own money.

They also said that Najib does not want to make the public feel "burdened or obliged" that they should donate.

He is reportedly "profoundly grateful" to those who have assisted him.

Pushback

The fundraiser move has come with a slew of criticism.

Najib's detractors have responded to the fundraiser by donating RM0.01 (S$0.0031) and posting the transfer receipts online.

One Facebook user, James Chin, shared his 1 sen transfer to UMNO with the recipient note, "Free my boi Najib".

In the caption, he also wrote, "Lets all support BossKu". "Bossku", meaning "my boss", is a slang term referring to Najib.

Chin is a political commentator on Malaysian affairs, and has been largely critical of UMNO and Najib in the past.

Other users made transfers with the remarks "Bapak Sakau Negara", meaning "the nation's father of embezzlement".

Political fallout

Aside from the controversy in Malaysian civil society, Najib's pardon has generated a strong response from politicians.

Malaysia's transport minister, Anthony Loke, has offered his resignation over the matter, reported the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

He said that his party, the Democratic Action Party (DAP), could not accept the decision.

This move came in response to the growing backlash against Malaysian prime minister Anwar Ibrahim's Pakatan Harapan (PH) coalition for forming a government with UMNO, its rivals.

The DAP is currently part of the PH alliance.

Sheikh Omar Ali, the vice-chairman of the DAP's Johor chapter, criticised the pardon on Facebook and the resulting public response.

"The money from the villagers' pockets is misused, and from the villagers' pockets they are asked to help pay the fine...

What level of knowledge is this that is being taught to the people?"

According to CNA, Anwar has stressed that while he was able to provide advice on the matter, the power to grant a pardon ultimately rests with the Agong.

He emphasised that the conditional pardon would not negate the other ongoing legal proceedings against Najib.

SCMP has reported that the PH coalition is facing internal strife over not just Najib's pardon, but also their recent electoral losses to UMNO.

While PH and UMNO currently form a unity government, the rift between the two parties are deepening.

During the 2026 Johor state elections in July, the Barisan Nasional (BN), UMNO's alliance, secured a landslide win against PH, leading pundits to remark that a resurgence of UMNO in Malaysian national politics might follow.

An advisory issued by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Sep. 21 warned against scams involving the impersonation of Harvey Norman employees and government officials.

Since January 2026, at least 119 cases have been reported, with total losses amounting to at least S$4.8 million.

Fake calls

Victims will receive a call from scammers posing as Harvey Norman employees, confirming a recent purchase or pending delivery.

Upon denial, the scammers then claim that the victim’s personal information has been abused and that further investigations are required.

Victims would then be referred to a second scammer impersonating an officer from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), who will then accuse them of involvement in criminal activities.

The scammers will then request money transfers into “safe accounts” or for the handover of valuables to unknown individuals for “investigation purposes”.

Victims usually realise they have been scammed when they do not receive their refunds after multiple payouts.

Beware of certain behaviour

The police said that Singapore government officials would never ask for cash or personal valuables, and transfer calls to the police or other officials.

They also would not ask for the disclosure of banking login details or to download apps from unverified locations.

Members of the public are advised to take necessary precautions against scams.

Guidelines by Harvey Norman

In response to The Straits Times' queries on Sep. 10, Harvey Norman said staff have been briefed and guidelines put in place to help them identify and respond to inquiries relating to the scam calls.

The company said it has also urged consumers to "remain vigilant" and to verify any suspicious calls through its official channels.

It added that it will never ask customers for ID and banking details when they transact with the company.

In the first two months of its operation, the Online Safety Commission (OSC) has received more than 500 reports of online harm from the public, Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo told the media on Sep. 17.

She was giving her remarks ahead of Ministry of Digital Development and Information's (MDDI) launch of a new podcast series, "Let’s Table It", on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.

Among the reports that were referred to the social media platforms involved, the platforms have resolved 90 per cent of them.

The OSC was launched on Jun. 29, 2026, providing a website where victims of online harm in Singapore can submit reports about what they experienced.

The OSC recently shared some key statistics with the media.

Many of the eligible cases received in the first two months were related to doxxing, making up 44 per cent of the reported harms.

It was followed by online harassment at 38 per cent, intimate image abuse at eight per cent, online stalking at seven per cent, and image-based abuse of children under 16 at three per cent.

A case can involve more than one type of online harm.

Young victims involved

The victims of the eligible cases were as young as a seven-year-old, who was doxxed, up to a 68-year-old, who suffered online harassment.

Around 17 per cent of the eligible reports received involved a young victim under 18 years old.

The most common type of online harm these youths experienced was online harassment, at 51 per cent, followed by doxxing, at 31 per cent, and image-based child abuse, at 11 per cent.

In terms of gender, men and women were impacted at nearly equal rates, according to the OSC.

Taking action

The OSC has taken action to resolve many of the online harm cases.

It issued its first direction for a case of online sexual harassment where the victim received unsolicited explicit content.

Someone also used AI to generate nude images and videos of her, and shared them in over 1,000 posts across multiple platforms online.

After the OSC issued its direction, they managed to get the harmful content removed.

In another case, a victim experienced online harassment and stalking over a prolonged period of time after someone created several social media accounts to target him.

The perpetrator approached the victim's friends directly and impersonated the victim and his network to gather information.

The harassment even extended to death threats, which prompted a police investigation.

The OSC responded by flagging the social media accounts, and they were successfully removed for violating community guidelines. The commission also referred the victim for counselling and guidance.

In a case of doxxing, a victim was targeted in a forum thread due to a post that made negative allegations about her character and reputation.

Users in the thread solicited her identifying details and negative information about her, and one identified her and her partner by name.

To assist the victim, the OSC issued an Access Disabling Direction to the forum, asking them to disable the original post and the identified comment.

Related stories

A 19-year-old Mercedes-Benz driver who was allegedly involved in a car crash that ended with the deaths of five people has pleaded not guilty.

On Sep. 18, Goh Yin Zun was charged with reckless and dangerous driving over a crash that killed five people in the Kluang magistrates' court, Free Malaysia Today reported.

The dead included Goh's 22-year-old older brother and a family of four, including a 10-year-old girl.

It was reported that the two brothers were racing on the road and travelling at high speeds.

Goh's brother lost control of his BMW before colliding with several oncoming vehicles.

The charge

According to Malay Mail, the charge sheet stated that Goh is accused of driving in a manner dangerous to the public at KM27 of Jalan Renggam-Simpang Renggam at around 1:19pm on Jun. 1.

Under Malaysia's Road Transport Act 1987, the charge carried a jail term of up to five years and a maximum fine of RM15,000 (S$4,692).

The prosecution initially proposed bail at RM20,000 (S$6,256), but during mitigation, the defence counsel appealed for a reduction.

The counsel urged the court to consider that Goh was a youthful offender pursuing a business studies diploma in Singapore.

His defence counsel also added that Goh fully cooperated with authorities during his initial remand period and after his release on police bail, Malay Mail reported.

The magistrate set Goh's bail at RM10,000 (S$3,128) with one surety and ordered Goh to report to a police station once a month.

His case will be mentioned again in Malaysia's courts on Nov. 20, alongside document submissions.

The family of a 19-year-old motorcyclist, who was injured in an accident in Yishun on Sep. 2, is appealing for witnesses to come forward.

In a Facebook post on Sep. 21, the mother of the injured man said her son had been involved in a serious accident and was at one point in critical condition.

What she is looking for

The accident happened on Sep. 2 between 10:20am and noon along Yishun Avenue 1 towards Seletar Link, near Yishun Avenue 11.

His mother said the family had been unable to find any footage of the accident and appealed for witnesses to come forward.

She also urged anyone who witnessed the accident or assisted in calling an ambulance to contact the family with information that could assist with investigations.

What the police said

In response to Mothership's queries, the police said they were alerted at about 11:50am on Sep. 2 to an accident involving a motorcycle and a lorry along Yishun Avenue 1 towards Seletar Link.

The 19-year-old male motorcyclist was taken to hospital conscious, and is assisting with investigations.

Police investigations are ongoing.