A customer who purchased five 500g boxes of durian from a Singapore retailer allegedly requested a refund twice after claiming the fruit was unsatisfactory.

The seller, Uncle Max of SYR Trading in Bukit Batok, recounted the incident in a TikTok video posted on Jun. 23.

According to Uncle Max, the customer ordered the five boxes of durian on Jun. 21 before requesting a refund, claiming the fruit was "unripe".

The seller then replaced the order with another five boxes of durian. However, the customer later sought a second refund, alleging that the replacement fruit was "sour".

First refund

A spokesperson from SYR Trading told Mothership that as a gesture of goodwill, Uncle Max had replaced all five boxes without dispute.

"What I always do is to make the customer happy. I try my best," Uncle Max said in his video.

The customer had initially claimed that most of his boxes were "unripe", adding that one box had been eaten by his "landlord", so it could not be inspected.

Despite not getting "complete evidence" of the customer's claim, the store said they chose to give the customer the benefit of the doubt and proceeded with the refund.

They had also expedited the replacement and arranged for their delivery partner to send a fresh set of durians directly from their shop.

Second refund

The store clarified that they offer replacements when customers provide photo evidence showing that the durians are either sour, unripe, watery, or damaged during delivery.

"Even if the issue isn't clearly visible in the photos, we will still give our customers the benefit of the doubt and honour the replacement," the store said.

Upon receiving the replacement, the customer went on the shop's TikTok livestream to praise them and said the replacement was "excellent".

However, five days later, he claimed that the durians in all of the replacement boxes were "sour", and requested a full refund on their TikTok shop.

"At that point, we felt we had already gone beyond our standard replacement policy by replacing the entire order in good faith," the store said.

"Our video was intended to provide our perspective on the incident and explain why we felt the situation was unfair after we had already gone above and beyond to resolve the customer's concerns."

A patron at a Chinese restaurant at Vivocity was tickled after noticing that his order chit was printed entirely in Mandarin and encountering a server who did not know how to speak English.

"Lucky I know how to say he shui (drink water)," the patron quipped.

While the patron found it a "non-issue", the restaurant said that a Mandarin-only order chit is something they should have "considered more carefully".

It added that it will take steps to add bilingual wording to customer-facing order chits and bills as soon as possible.

Language barrier

The patron shared about the experience in a TikTok clip.

In the caption, the user, @azxr.i, wrote, "Lost Melayu in Vivocity".

The hashtag referred to Alijiang, which, according to its website, is a restaurant "serving Xinjiang flavours".

Its Vivocity location is its only outlet.

"I go to this place I makan, first of all the server cannot speak English," the user recounted with a smile.

Thankfully, he could manage some Mandarin vocabulary, the user shared.

He then referred to the order chit given to him, which was printed entirely in Mandarin.

"You tell me, I want to read what?" the user said while cackling.

Not meant to be negative

Speaking to Mothership, the user, Azri, said he visited the restaurant at around 2pm on Jun. 25.

He was with his fiancée, who was similarly unable to converse fluently in Mandarin.

On the experience, Azri said he felt "amused" as it was the first time this had happened to him in Singapore.

He said that ultimately, it was a "non-issue" because he was able to converse in "some basic conversational Mandarin" and also used "contextual clues" to figure things out.

He emphasised that his post was not meant to direct negativity at the restaurant or its staff.

"I just thought it was funny and just for gags," Azri commented.

He also said that he would "100 per cent" visit the restaurant again as the food was "very very good".

Bilingual wording to be added to customer-facing chits and bills: Restaurant

Responding to Mothership's queries, the restaurant, Alijiang, said that it was aware of the TikTok clip and has reviewed the feedback.

"While the diner appeared to take the experience in good humour, we acknowledge that an order chit printed only in Mandarin may be difficult for non-Mandarin-speaking guests to understand, and this is something we should have considered more carefully," the restaurant said.

It also explained that the Mandarin wording on the order chit was originally used for "operational and kitchen accuracy".

"We agree that customer-facing order chits and bills should be more accessible," the restaurant said.

Alijiang shared that it was taking steps to include bilingual wording on its customer-facing order chits and bills "as soon as possible".

"In the meantime, we have also reminded our service team to proactively assist guests who may need help understanding their orders or bills," it added.

"We appreciate the feedback and will use this as an opportunity to improve the experience for all guests," the restaurant said.

After mounting a kerb and colliding with a lamppost and road sign, packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes apparently fell out of the engine compartment of a Malaysian-registered car.

An eyewitness later saw the driver fleeing the scene.

Duty-unpaid cigarettes

According to Shin Min Daily News, the accident took place at around 9am on Jun. 26 at a junction in Choa Chu Kang, near Brickland Road.

One passer-by, Wang (transiteration), 37, told Shin Min that when she drove past the incident site, she saw the Malaysian-registered car mounted on the road divider.

The nearby road sign had also toppled as a result of the collision.

"It was probably a recent accident at the time as the police had not arrived. There were a number of duty-unpaid cigarettes under the car. The driver was nowhere to be seen. Not sure if he had fled," Wang said.

When Shin Min reached the scene, the police had already arrived and set up a cordon.

The front right wheel of the car was suspended in the air, while the front of the car was badly damaged

Parts of the car had also come loose.

Police officers were seen inspecting the undercarriage of the car.

It is believed that the illegal cigarettes fell due to the force of impact, Shin Min wrote.

Singapore Customs officers at the scene

At around 12pm, officers from Singapore Customs also arrived at the scene.

They opened up the hood of the engine compartment and discovered more duty-unpaid cigarettes.

They spent about two minutes retrieving over 10 bundles of illegal cigarettes and placing them in a box before taking them away.

The police were also observed placing evidence tags as they conducted their investigation.

A contractor who arrived at the site told Shin Min that he was informed by the Land Transport Authority to conduct checks on the road sign after the car had been towed away.

Driver appeared normal, but fled the scene

Another eyewitness, Zhou (transliteration), 60, said that he heard a loud crash at the time of the incident.

After the crash, Zhou said he saw a male driver, who looked to be about 30 to 40 years old, alighting from the car.

"He looked normal and did not appear to be swaying about," Zhou said.

"I thought he would call the police, but he ran away instead," he added.

Car believed to have self-skidded

Responding to Mothership's queries, a Singapore Police Force (SPF) spokesperson said that the police were alerted at 9am on jun. 26 to an accident involving a car which was believed to have self-skidded along KJE slip road into Brickland Road.

The driver of the car left the scene before the police arrived.

A 33-year-old male car driver was subsequently arrested for driving without a valid license.

Items believed to be duty-unpaid cigarettes were found in the car.

"Customs-related offences will be referred to Singapore Customs," the spokesperson said.

Police investigations are ongoing.

32-year-old Low Weisi was born in Singapore, where the heat is relentless and the grind never really stops.

About six years ago, she traded it for Svalbard, an archipelago at 78 degrees north, where temperatures drop below -30°C and the sun doesn't rise at all for four months of the year.

These days, she's based in Norway.

But where she actually call home?

Life unfolds more slowly

For those of you who haven't memorised every dot on the globe, Svalbard sits in the Arctic Ocean, roughly halfway between Norway and the North Pole, and is home to a local population of around 2,400.

Low first visited the Norwegian archipelago in 2017 during a week-long trip that coincided with the Dark Season, when the sun remains below the horizon and Svalbard is enveloped in 24-hour darkness.

"It felt absolutely magical, and it was then I decided I'll have to experience living life here as a local," she said.

The trip planted the seed for her move two years later in 2019.

Compared to Singapore's fast pace, life in Svalbard unfolds more slowly, Low said.

"I wake up, do some work, go for a walk."

Though what that walk looks like changes completely with the seasons, one thing stays constant: she's often greeted by a reindeer along the way, and somehow, that never gets old.

"You don't go looking for wildlife, wildlife finds you."

When Low told me one of her favourite things about Svalbard was how life works there, specifically the locals, I didn't expect "locals" to mean creatures with more than two feet.

"It feels like [the wildlife] are the true locals, they own the place and you’re just a guest," she said.

She recalled a frightening yet eye-opening experience during a snowmobile trip several years ago with her then-boyfriend, now husband.

That day, he was carrying the rifle they had brought for polar bear protection.

Midway through the journey, Low's snowmobile suddenly stalled, and her husband, who was riding ahead, did not notice.

"As he zoomed away, I was left with me and my snowmobile, without any polar bear protection, far far away from any kind of civilisation, no phone reception, deep in the arctic valley with miles and miles of snow covered mountains with no end in sight," she recalled.

Her husband eventually realised she was no longer behind him and turned back.

The experience, however, stayed with her.

Even though they had a rifle between them, Low realised she should have carried her own flare gun as an additional safety measure.

It was a lesson, she said, that only life in Svalbard could teach: no matter how prepared you are, you are never truly in control.

"You truly are a guest in the realm of the wildlife up there," she said.

It's an idea she keeps coming back to, that in Svalbard, humans are not at the top of the hierarchy, wildlife is.

"Wildlife encounters us. It feels like the polar bears, reindeer, foxes, birds, whales — they own the place, and you're just there, feeling so privileged to catch a glimpse into their world."

Much has changed since Low last spoke to Mothership in 2020, when she said she planned to spend only a couple of years in the Arctic before returning to Singapore.

Life simply had different plans for her.

Low married her Norwegian husband in 2025, and the couple decided to spend some time living together in Norway.

"Maybe Singapore for a bit as well later, we'll see," she said.

The Norwegian countryside has the infrastructure, variety, and pace of a regular city.

This is in contrast to Svalbard, which felt almost "untouched" by comparison.

"I like that there's fast food," she quipped. "I really missed McDonald's and Burger King while I lived up in Svalbard."

Always Singaporean at heart

Having lived in Svalbard, and now Norway, for almost seven years, does Low still feel Singaporean? Or had life abroad quietly shifted something in her?

While living abroad has added a new layer to her identity, Low said she remains Singaporean at heart.

"Still obsessed with bubble tea, McSpicy, and being kiasu," she said.

That said, what she values has .

She now craves a slower, more intentional life. One less fixated on the milestones many people feel pressured to chase.

Back in Singapore, she always felt as though she was racing against the clock.

"I have to get from Place A to Place B ASAP. I have to finish my dinner ASAP. I felt like I had to do everything ASAP," she said.

Svalbard, she said, forced her to stop and breathe.

"When you step outside and you're surrounded by nature that's existed for millions of years, indifferent to my 'urgency,' you start to think about what really matters," she said. "I think it's a reminder to me that life can be a lot more basic and essential, a lot more beautiful than what my life was like in Singapore."

These days, home to Low is no longer tied to a single place.

Instead, it is split across three.

"Singapore is where my roots and family are. Svalbard is where something in me changed. Norway is where I live now," she said.

For her, home has now become less a physical location, and more a feeling.

Opened a travel business in Svalbard

Low has since opened a travel business in Svalbard called "The Svalbard Life".

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Weisi Low :) (@qazwsxedcjklow)

True to its name, Low personally hosts each guest, giving them the chance to experience life in the northernmost town on earth.

Despite being based in Norway now, she continues to run tours in Svalbard.

For Low, the distance isn't really a dealbreaker.

"The commute isn't difficult at all, it's just a direct flight from Oslo," she said.

In fact, she believes the arrangement allows for a more personal experience.

She meets guests in Oslo, gives them a quick introduction and travels with them to Svalbard, rather than simply meeting them there.

The idea for the business grew out of her desire to share what she believes makes Svalbard unique.

"In a lot of Arctic destinations like Finland or Tromsø, we go and experience some form of nature, and we potentially encounter some wildlife — like reindeer," she said. "But in Svalbard, it's the other way around. It's a whole other world. Nature up there is so incredibly untouched. We are the visitors."

It's this feeling, she said, that defines Svalbard and ultimately pushed her to start the business.

"I just really wanted to tell the whole world about this magic."

Low also regularly shares glimpses of her life on Instagram, which is what first sparked people's curiosity about Svalbard.

Many have described her as "brave" for moving somewhere so remote and extreme, but she doesn't see it that way.

"Honestly I’m just another Singaporean like them," she said. "So I wanted to be able to hold their hands and take them here and show them how possible it is that they can also experience the Arctic first hand, instead of only living vicariously through me."

Low hosted her first tour group in May this year, welcoming 12 guests from Europe for a week-long trip during the Arctic summer.

"Connecting with the first tour group was amazing! It reaffirmed my passion with working with people and my love for the Arctic. It’s magical to see the way they light up experiencing these place for the first time."

The itinerary included boat rides, hikes and husky sledding, and coincided with bird migration season, when various species nest around the town.

Beyond town, the group spotted beluga whales, minke whales, seals and walruses in the water.

Low believes the tours also offer visitors a respite from the pressures of everyday life.

Having often heard friends talk about the stresses of work culture in Singapore, she said she can almost promise that the moment people step foot on Svalbard, they will find more than just an escape from the fast-paced world back home.

"It's almost like a return to something essential and basic, the way we were meant to live."

Sublime

What Low hopes for, more than anything, is that her guests leave with what she calls "the Arctic bug".

She likens the feeling to a concept in psychology and philosophy known as the sublime — a term associated with the philosopher Immanuel Kant.

"I want my guests to feel the sublime — this overwhelming feeling of awe and smallness in the face of vast, powerful nature," she said.

"That feeling when you're standing in the middle of an Arctic valley, glaciers all around you, complete silence, and you suddenly realise how incredibly small we are."

While she is careful not to impose her worldview on others, she hopes their time in Svalbard leaves a lasting impression.

"Especially when life moves so fast in Singapore, and the pressure to keep up is so real — if their time in Svalbard can remind them, even as they're back at their desk on Monday morning, that our world is so much bigger and wilder and more beautiful than our day-to-day feels like, that would be nice."

A 50-year-old Malaysian man allegedly slashed his wife repeatedly with a parang after seeing her speak to a male neighbour.

According to The Star, the mother of six, 40, suffered 14 slash wounds across her body, including on her neck.

She is reportedly in critical but stable condition.

A manhunt is underway to find the suspect.

Incident

The incident occurred in Sabah, Malaysia on Jun. 25 at about 9:30am, according to Malaysia media.

The man, an Indonesian national who had been married to the victim for 19 years, apparently became jealous after seeing his wife talk to their male neighbour from within their home compound.

The suspect had reportedly told her not to talk to the neighbour, but a heated argument began when the victim denied doing so.

"The suspect, believed to be angered, took a parang from the kitchen before attacking the victim," said a police officer in charge of the investigations.

The victim's niece later found the victim in a pool of blood and a neighbour called the police.

According to the police, the woman said the incident stemmed from her husband's jealousy.

The suspect had also allegedly often accused his wife of having an affair with a neighbour, which she denied, said the police.

Local property technology company Ohmyhome has sold its main real estate brokerage business to corporate acquisition vehicle Sterling Oat for US$1 (S$1.30).

According to filings submitted to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Jun. 18, Ohmyhome sold its wholly owned subsidiary, Ohmyhome (BVI), to Sterling Oat for a nominal consideration of US$1.

Ohmyhome (BVI) is the holding company of Ohmyhome Singapore and its subsidiaries, which provide real estate brokerage and property-related services in Singapore and Malaysia.

These include property brokerage, property management, renovation and home improvement services, mortgage and legal referrals, as well as other ancillary property-related services.

Sale follows declining revenue and operating losses

According to a report by The Straits Times (ST), the company said it decided to divest the subsidiary after evaluating its declining revenue and ongoing operating losses.

The purchase price was also determined based on the negative net asset position of Ohmyhome (BVI).

According to the filings, as of Mar. 31, the subsidiary had a net asset deficit of S$14.77 million.

Filings also showed that Ohmyhome had unconditionally waived S$19 million in debt owed by the subsidiary before completing the sale.

The company's audit committee and board of directors said the debt waiver was in the company's best interests as it would strengthen Ohmyhome (BVI)'s financial position.

Following the sale, the Nasdaq-listed company will cease operating real estate brokerage and other property-related businesses, and instead focus on providing digital marketing services.

These include digital marketing strategy, content creation, online advertising campaigns and performance monitoring.

The SEC filings did not provide further details on the new ownership structure.

It is also unclear whether customers in Singapore had been informed of the restructuring.

Ohmyhome to continue operating privately

Speaking to ST, chief executive of Ohmyhome’s operations in Singapore and Malaysia, Rhonda Wong, said the property business would continue operating under a private business structure.

She added that the company's app and website, property agents, as well as its renovation and property management businesses remain operational and continue to secure new deals.

Wong said she will continue to lead the property business with her sister and co-founder, Race Wong, and added that there will be no retrenchments.

Background

The Wong sisters founded Ohmyhome in 2016 as an online property agency.

According to ST, in March 2023, the company was listed on the Nasdaq, raising US$15.1 million (about S$19.5 million).

The proceeds were intended to support expansion into Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia and Vietnam, as well as repay existing loans.

Its shares, which debuted at US$4 (S$5.18) during the initial public offering, declined sharply after trading.

Ohmyhome also announced a reverse stock split of its shares to consolidate every 10 existing shares into one new share in March 2025 to regain compliance with Nasdaq's minimum US$1 bid price requirement.

The move reduced the number of outstanding shares from about 24 million to 2.4 million.

Shares of Ohmyhome closed at US$0.64 (S$0.83) on Jun. 25.

A video of an Indian father breaking down outside an exam hall has gone viral after his 18-year-old daughter was barred from sitting a national medical school entrance exam because they arrived two minutes late.

According to Indian media, the incident took place in Madhya Pradesh, India.

What happened

According to The Times of India, Rajini and her father had left home early on the day of her medical exam, but had to face heavy rain and a tyre blowout along the way, causing them to arrive at the exam centre two minutes past the deadline.

While Rajini and several other late arrivals were allowed to enter the compound, the biometric verification window had already closed, meaning the system could not complete her registration.

She and the other affected students were ultimately not permitted to sit the exam, per 8world.

For Rajini, this means waiting another full year before she can attempt the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) again.

Father's breakdown caught on video

Footage circulating online showed Rajini's father pleading repeatedly with exam centre staff to make an exception and allow his daughter in.

When his appeals were rejected, he lost composure, walked towards the iron gate, and headbutted it before collapsing to the ground.

Rajini rushed over and held her father, sobbing, as bystanders gathered to help.

विदिशा की घटना ने दिल दहला दिया! 💔

Re-NEET परीक्षा केंद्र, बायोमेट्रिक दिक्कतें और एडमिट कार्ड में गलती की वजह से तीन छात्राएं परीक्षा नहीं दे पाईं!

हर छात्रा के पीछे उनके माता-पिता भी खड़े थे! साथ थी बरसों की उम्मीदें, त्याग और सपने! जिसने भी यह पल देखा, भावुक हो गया!

पता… pic.twitter.com/RYYchyrVsC

— Jitendra (Jitu) Patwari (@jitupatwari) June 22, 2026

A family that sacrificed everything

According to 8world, Rajini comes from a rural village in Madhya Pradesh. Her father works as a daily wage labourer, earning around 300 rupees (S$4.12) a day, and has been regularly borrowing money from relatives to fund her education.

After completing secondary school, Rajini commuted long distances daily to attend school in another area. She also used scholarship funds and loans to purchase a laptop to prepare for the exam.

A 31-year-old man was arrested for his suspected involvement in a case of outrage of modesty.

On Jun. 23 at about 8:30pm, the police received a report that an unknown man had allegedly molested an 11-year-old girl in the vicinity of Woodlands Drive 50.

The man’s identity was established through follow-up investigations with the aid of images from police cameras.

He was subsequently arrested within a day of the report.

The man was scheduled to be charged with the offence of outrage of modesty on Jun. 26.

The offence carries a jail term of three to 10 years and caning.

The police said they have zero tolerance towards sexual offenders who prey on unsuspecting victims and threaten the personal safety of those in the community.

Offenders will be dealt with sternly in accordance with the law.

The police also advised victims of molestation to move away from the perpetrators and call the police immediately when it is safe to do so.

While ensuring their personal safety, victims should try to note key details, such as the perpetrator’s physical appearance, clothing, the time and location of the incident.

The 19-year-old French teenager who allegedly filmed himself licking a straw and returning it to an iJooz vending machine is expected to plead guilty on Jul. 13, 2026.

According to CNA, the lawyer of Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien told the district court on Jun. 26 that Maximilien, who was not present at the hearing, would enter a plea on the afternoon of Jul. 13.

Earlier reports stated that Maximilien had previously been charged on Apr. 24 with one count of committing mischief and another count of public nuisance.

Incident

The incident allegedly took place on Mar. 12 at around 2pm at Goldhill Centre in Thomson Road.

Maximilien had allegedly filmed himself removing and licking a straw from an iJooz kiosk before placing it back into the straw dispenser.

His antics went viral after he allegedly posted the video onto his Instagram Story on the same day.

iJooz, which is known for its orange juice vending machines, replaced all 500 straws in the dispenser, valued at S$5.

Internship

The Straits Times reported that the ESSEC Business School student had earlier been allowed to leave Singapore for a school-required trip to the Philippines from May 2 to 25, and subsequently returned to Singapore.

According to CNA, the three-week internship in Manila was a requirement for Maximilien to graduate.

Penalties

If found guilty of mischief, he could be jailed for up to two years, fined, or both.

If convicted of public nuisance, he faces a jail term of up to three months, a fine of up to S$2,000, or both.

Two masked men wearing motorcycle helmets allegedly splashed fuel and red paint onto a nasi kandar restaurant before setting it ablaze in Johor, Malaysia.

The incident occurred on the morning of Jun. 19, a day before the restaurant’s scheduled grand opening, Bernama reported.

Fire

In surveillance footage circulating online, the incident occurred at about 3:32am.

The arsonists, armed with machetes, were seen splashing fuel and red paint at the restaurant’s entrance.

They then set the restaurant alight.

Both men fled the premises.

One of them was caught on camera with his feet on fire.

Investigations

According to local police, a call was received at about 3:59am from the restaurant operator.

The incident resulted in losses estimated at RM200,000 (S$62,317).

The motive of the pair’s actions remains unclear.

Local police are searching for the culprits.

The Johor Fire and Rescue Department also said it received a call at about 3:43am.

However, the fire was apparently put out when fire trucks arrived.

No injuries were reported.

Investigations are ongoing.

The restaurant had previously promoted its grand opening, which included free food for visitors.