Train operations at the JB Sentral Station in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, are temporarily suspended on Jun. 11, 2026.

Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) said in a Jun. 10 Facebook post that the temporary suspension is to facilitate construction works for the Johor Bahru to Singapore Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link project.

Bus service provided for affected passengers

Affected passengers travelling on the EP9535 and EG9449 train services will continue their journey using the intermediary bus service provided between Kempas Baru Railway Station and JB Sentral.

Designated pick-up and drop-off areas will be provided at both locations.

Staff and ambassadors will also be stationed at the affected areas to assist and guide passengers.

The rail operator advised passengers to follow signage and staff instructions to ensure smooth and safe passenger movement during the temporary suspension period.

Affected passengers may contact the KTMB call centre at 03-9779 1200 for any enquiries or further assistance.

Changi Airport will be screening the World Cup at transit areas across the terminals, as well as ST3PS, the public area at Terminal 3 Basement 2.

Here are the scheduled group matches, the schedule will be updated as the tournament goes on.

There also other fun activities scheduled, including a Football Champions Trail at Terminal 3’s public areas to unlock rewards worth more than S$50 in total.

By taking part in quizzes and challenges, participants will enjoy exclusive shopping and dining deals (minimum spend applies) along the way, culminating in a complimentary ticket to the Bouncing Net at Jewel Canopy Park upon completion.

Find out more info here.

New football video

To mark the start of World Cup season, Changi Airport also launched a new video featuring Singapore’s national football players and special appearances by local football legend Fandi Ahmad and Acting Minister for Transport Jeffrey Siow.

You can watch the video here:

]]> 1151557 https://mothership.sg/2026/06/man-charged-email-town-council/ 2026-06-11T10:41:16 https://mothership.sg/2026/06/man-charged-email-town-council/

A 72-year-old man will be charged on Jun. 11 for allegedly using abusive language towards public servants.

According to investigations, he had apparently sent multiple emails to the Marsiling-Yew Tee Town Council between Aug. 19 and Oct. 6, 2025, the police said in a Jun. 10 release.

The emails purportedly contained accusations of unlawful conduct and abusive comments directed at a Member of Parliament (MP) for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC and a town council employee.

The man was also previously investigated for similar offences under the Protection from Harassment Act 2014 for abusive conduct directed at the same MP and various town council employees.

He will be charged for using or communicating abusive words or materials towards a public servant.

These offences carry a jail term not exceeding 12 months, a fine not exceeding S$5,000, or both.

The police reminded members of the public who have concerns regarding municipal or public service matters to raise them through appropriate official channels.

The police also said it has zero tolerance for harassment and abusive conduct directed at public officers and town council personnel who carry out their duties in the service of the community.

It will not hesitate to take firm action against those who engage in such conduct in accordance with the law.

When he and his wife have to work on some Saturdays, Daniel Chow would take the MRT train to a station in the morning and hand their toddler to his mother-in-law for babysitting.

The exchange would happen at the side gate of the EZ-Link gantry, which the station staff kindly opened for Chow to push his daughter through in her pram.

It is a practice his family has been doing occasionally since around October 2025.

On Mar. 14, however, the station manager stopped him and told him he was not allowed to open the gate for this, citing security reasons. He requested that Chow tap out instead.

There was a "showdown" when Chow questioned this apparent rule, causing his toddler to start screaming, he told Mothership.

The manager eventually relented and opened the gate, telling Chow it was the "last time".

Frustrated by the encounter, the 33-year-old father took to Instagram on Jun. 9 to pen an open letter addressed to Minister of Transport Jeffrey Siow.

"Is there... really such a rule that parents need to tap out to pass our babies to our parents and then waste S$2 tapping back in?" he wrote. "If yes, can we please remove it?"

'Ridiculous'

On past occasions, every SMRT staff member at the station, which is along the Thomson East Coast Line, had been "helpful and smiley in opening the side gate for the pram to be passed across".

They included the station manager, who informed Chow once that it was not allowed, but let him through the gate anyway, and Chow appreciated this.

He responded differently on Mar. 14, however.

"He started talking about just following the rules, needing to tap out for security reasons — which I found ridiculous," Chow recalled.

"At 8:20am, there was literally no one else but my in-law and [me]," he questioned in his Instagram post. "Why can’t a staff just open the side gate?"

According to him, the manager also claimed someone had complained about his practice of passing his daughter through the side gate, but said it was confidential when Chow asked for proof.

When Chow questioned if the supposed rule was something he truly wanted to enforce, the manager allegedly said he was "just doing his job".

An alternative

Since the incident, Chow has stopped passing his daughter to his mother-in-law at the gantry, but would do so over a glass barrier in the middle of the station.

He shared a video of this manoeuvre in his Instagram post.

Since his post, other parents have reached out to him to share that he could have gotten a free EZ-Link card to tap out for his child.

"I wished the station manager shared this precious information with me," he said.

SMRT offered to chat

On Jun. 10, SMRT sent him a direct message via Instagram.

According to screenshots shared by Chow, SMRT offered to arrange a chat between him and their head of community engagement.

He thanked them, but told Mothership he does not plan to meet with SMRT, as he does not believe it will be helpful.

He explained that he made his post to encourage others "to be more empathetic and think critically about unnecessary rules".

In response to Mothership's queries, an SMRT spokesperson said SMRT understands Chow's concerns.

The spokesperson added that they have spoken with their staff on circumstances when some discretion can be exercised, and that the majority of the station staff did so in this case.

According to the Land Transport Authority (LTA) website, commuters can apply for a concession card at SimplyGo ticket offices for free travel for their child between 0.9m and 1.2m tall, as long as they are below seven years old and not studying in a primary school yet.

The body of an 82-year-old man was retrieved from Kallang River on Jun. 10 evening.

He was pronounced dead at the scene by a Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedic.

Responding to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said that it was alerted to a case of suspected drowning at Kallang River at about 8:20pm.

The 82-year-old's body was subsequently retrieved from the river.

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

Police investigations are ongoing.

One Mothership reader who lived nearby shared that they observed significant police and SCDF presence on the evening of Jun. 10 and into the early hours of Jun. 11.

SCDF divers were seen entering the waters.

At about 12:10am on Jun. 11, the reader said they saw a body bag being removed.

A 53-year-old woman in China, who suffered long-term domestic abuse at the hands of her ex-husband, had struggled to cover the cost of her RMB7,000 (S$1,330) medical treatment.

She later discovered her ex-husband had hidden RMB14 million (S$2.6 million) from her.

The woman told Jiupai News that she was "deeply trapped" by the traditional taboo of not airing one's dirty laundry in public and keeping family scandals private.

This fear led her to silently endure the abuse for years.

After more than 10 years of suffering, she finally spoke up about her experience.

Domestic violence

Wang Zuohong first met her husband, surnamed He, through a matchmaker in 1997, Sina reported.

The couple married a year later and had a daughter shortly after.

Wang claimed that her then-husband started beating her in 2014.

Between 2020 to 2023, she suffered more than 10 rounds of beatings from her husband.

She reportedly took 132 photos of her injuries from the abuse, which included three broken ribs and three head injuries, she told Jiupai News.

Wang was also diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety after the abuse.

She also suffered from hearing loss in her ears following the beatings.

Cheating

In addition to the physical torment, her ex-husband cheated on her as well.

Wang discovered this when she found records on his phone of sex toys he had purchased with his mistress, reported Sina.

He apparently showed no remorse for his infidelity, even bringing his mistress to provoke Wang in person.

The mistress had also called and verbally abused Wang, threatening to find a hitman to kill her — all in an attempt to push her towards a divorce.

Wang also believed her ex-husband's repeated domestic abuse was a bid to force her to divorce him.

Finances

Although they were married, the couple never discussed their financial situation.

For over 20 years of marriage, Wang was unaware of his income and expenditure.

After monitoring her husband's bank accounts for several years, she realised that without her knowledge, her husband had transferred out RMB 14 million (S$2.6 million).

Despite his wealth, he had refused to give her a monthly living allowance of RMB2,500 (S$475), she told a Chinese TV show.

Wang shared that she would wear t-shirts worth less than RMB100 (S$19), while her partner wore branded clothes.

When she went to Beijing for medical treatment, she could only stay in a cheap hotel that cost RMB50 (S$9.50) per night, and could barely afford the RMB7,000 (S$1,330) medical bill.

Meanwhile, Wang claimed that her ex-husband would go for cosmetic procedures regularly.

She also had to raise their daughter, who was pursuing a master's degree in Beijing, on her own.

She said: "I feel sorry for myself because I was wrongly treated by him."

Daughter's pleas

Wang added that she only stayed with her ex-husband for the sake of their daughter.

In one violent episode, her then 13-year-old daughter tried to stop her father and knelt down before her mother, begging them not to divorce, and saying that she "want[ed] a complete family".

At the pleas of her daughter and mother, Wang wrote a letter of forgiveness to her ex-husband, reported Sina.

However, the violence continued and was eventually inflicted on their daughter, who would get beaten if she did not achieve full marks on her mathematics tests.

Wang would also get beaten if she tried to intervene.

In 2025, Wang complained to the Yongchuan District Women's Federation in Chongqing to report her husband's domestic violence.

Her daughter also gave a witness testimony to support her mother in court.

Wang was soon granted a personal protection order by a local court.

In October that year, the court sentenced her husband to jail.

He was also ordered to pay Wang compensation for her injuries.

She has since filed for divorce, and the case is still ongoing.

E-commerce platform Shopee began cutting hundreds of developer jobs globally this week amidst its push towards AI.

The cuts will affect about 8 per cent of its developer workforce, Bloomberg reported, citing sources familiar with the matter.

More cuts might follow, Bloomberg wrote.

Adjustments made based on operational and business priorities: Shopee

In response to Mothership's queries, a Shopee spokesperson said that the company regularly assesses its staffing needs.

"From time to time, departments may make adjustments based on operational and business priorities," the spokesperson said.

"These decisions are always made after careful consideration. For colleagues affected by any changes, Shopee is committed to providing support during this period of transition," the spokesperson continued.

Shopee's spokesperson did not provide the specific number of employees affected by this round of job reductions.

At least 10 affected in Singapore: CNA

CNA reported that two software engineers at Shopee's Singapore headquarters learned they had been laid off on Monday (Jun. 8).

One of the engineers received the news via the company's instant messaging platform prior to an in-person meeting with the human resources department.

The engineer told CNA that affected employees were told they will receive an "N+2" severance package, or one month of salary for each year of service plus another two months of pay.

Another employee told CNA that they knew of at least 10 affected colleagues, mostly in the product and engineering teams, in Shopee's Singapore office.

This employee added that there was no town hall or company-wide email informing all staff of the layoffs.

Shopee provided advance notification: Union

A spokesperson for the Creative Media and Publishing Union (CMPU) said Sea Limited, Shopee's parent company, had informed the union in advance about the "workforce adjustment affecting certain employees".

Sea Limited is not a unionised company in Singapore, according to CNA.

The advance notification enabled CMPU to "work closely with management to better support affected employees through this challenging period".

"The union is working with the management to ensure that affected members and workers are offered fair compensation packages, and that the adjustment is conducted fairly and responsibly," the spokesperson said.

CMPU's representatives were also on-site during the layoff exercise to provide support and assistance to affected union members and employees, the spokesperson shared.

Bloomberg wrote that it is unclear if this latest round of layoffs at Shopee is tied to Sea's venture into artificial intelligence.

However, Sea's Chief Executive Officer, Forrest Li, previously noted that AI advancements could set Sea on a path to a US$1 trillion market capitalisation.

A 19-year-old Mercedes-Benz driver allegedly involved in a fatal crash in Johor that killed five people, including a 10-year-old girl, has been released on police bail.

This comes after his remand was extended for two days to facilitate investigations for murder, and the remand order expired on Jun. 10.

Now, the deputy public prosecutor has directed that the teen be granted bail until investigations are fully completed, The New Straits Times cited the Kluang district police chief as saying.

The crash

On Jun. 1, the suspect was driving a Mercedes-Benz alongside his 22-year-old brother in a BMW, on the Kluang – Simpang Renggam highway in Johor.

Both drivers are believed to have driven dangerously at the time. The BMW reportedly lost control and entered the opposite lane, colliding with four other vehicles before plunging into a ravine.

The suspect's brother passed away afterwards, and the other four deceased were a family whose ages ranged from 10 to 73.

The public responded in outrage over the incident, with Malaysian transport minister Anthony Loke calling such driving "very irresponsible and completely unacceptable".

If convicted, the 19-year-old could face up to five years in jail and a maximum fine of RM15,000 (S$4,800).

Related stories

A semi-retired construction contractor in Selangor, Malaysia, has publicly severed ties with his only daughter after spending more than RM160,000 (S$51,400) over five years repaying her debts to loan sharks, saying he can no longer continue bailing her out.

China Press reported that Lee, from Batu 11, Cheras, held a press conference alongside Selangor DAPSY (Democratic Action Party Socialist Youth) chief Lee Boon Pin, urging illegal moneylenders to stop extending credit to his 25-year-old daughter.

He said:

"If any more loan sharks come to collect debts, go find the borrower yourself."

Years of debt, a sold house

According to Says Malaysia, Lee said his daughter first became involved with loan sharks at the age of 21 due to online gambling.

Despite his efforts to help her recover financially, she kept borrowing from different syndicates, leaving him with no choice but to sell his house to cover RM120,000 (S$38,600) of her debts.

His daughter had graduated from an international high school but never found work. When she expressed interest in studying in Qingdao, China, Lee funded her throughout. She spent more than three years there, though he said he was unsure whether she had actually graduated.

Agreed to support her, but she kept borrowing

When his daughter said she wanted to rent a place in Kuala Lumpur with friends, Lee agreed, on the condition that she stop borrowing from loan sharks.

She did not keep her word.

He said:

"She said she wanted to rent a place in KL and live with friends, and I supported her, but made it clear she couldn't borrow from loan sharks anymore, but she still borrowed from several syndicates."

According to Says Malaysia, debt collectors came knocking again around February this year, and he ended up paying another RM40,000 to RM50,000 (S$13,000 to S$15,800) to clear her debts.

His daughter later travelled to the UK, and Lee continued sending her money through an e-wallet, totalling about RM10,000 (S$3,200). When loan sharks called again in recent days, he decided to go public.

He said:

"I have helped repay over RM160,000 (S$51,400) in loan shark debts in total, clearing the principal loan amount. I hope to use the media to urge loan sharks not to lend to her anymore, as I will absolutely not help her pay them back again."

He also noted that his daughter only borrows money when she is back in Malaysia, adding that she appears to have no such problems abroad.

Warning ahead of World Cup

Chief Lee Boon Pin said he had noticed a rise in young people turning to loan sharks, and with the World Cup approaching, urged the public to avoid borrowing from illegal moneylenders.

Wondering how to make the most of the June holidays? We've got just the thing.

From Jun. 9 to 13, Grab will be hosting an interactive GrabCoins Carnival pop-up event at Funan, where you can discover new ways to earn and redeem GrabCoins through games, activities and prizes.

If you’re a frequent Grab user like me, you probably have stacked up a bit of GrabCoins in your Grab account; this event will also be your chance to learn how to make the most of your GrabCoins beyond offsetting your food deliveries, ride fares, or snagging exclusive vouchers.

Best of all, you can have some fun while you’re at it.

Play games and earn GrabCoins

You will be able to put your skills and luck to the test through a series of carnival-style game stations and stand a chance to get free snacks, coffee, a DIY tote bag or T-shirts or even earn up to 5,000 GrabCoins.

One of the highlights is the “Human Claw Machine”, where participants are strapped in and lowered into a pit filled with prizes.

You have 30 seconds to grab as many balls as you can in the pit and see what you win!

There’s also “Lucky Catch”, a fishing-style game where you can scoop up GrabCoins in a pit for a chance to win attractive prizes.

Customise your own merch

The fun doesn't stop at the games, however. You can also use your winnings to redeem exclusive prizes and customise your own exclusive merch.

Head over to the DIY station to redeem your prize to customise iron-on patches on items such as tote bags, caps and T-shirts.

Didn’t win any prizes? You can still redeem an experience at the booth for just 1,000 GrabCoins.

Redeem more prizes

Not sure what else you can use your GrabCoins on?

Redeem your coins at the prize booth where visitors can exchange their earned GrabCoins for a range of exclusive prizes.

This includes a chance to win an iPhone 17 for just 50 GrabCoins or KrisFlyer miles, Amazon.sg gift cards, and even Apple accessories like Airpods and Airtags.

If you are feeling peckish, you can also redeem yourself a nice cup of coffee or some snacks for the kids at just 100 GrabCoins.

Otherwise, you can also win them as prizes at the activity stations.

Learn how to maximise your GrabCoins

Beyond the games and prizes, you can also learn more about how GrabCoins work and how to maximise your stash.

Swing by the educational zone located near the prize booth and learn tips on additional ways users can boost their GrabCoins earnings through their everyday transactions.

Don’t forget to snap a photo and post an Instagram Story tagging @grab_sg too to stand a chance to win up to 5,000 GrabCoins!

Whether you’re a frequent Grab user or curious about the rewards system or simply looking for a fun, action-packed activity this June, the pop-up is one to keep in mind.

Event details

Date: Jun. 9 to 13, 2026

Location: Funan, B2 event space

Time: 12pm - 9pm

Find out more here.

This branded article by Grab got this writer checking her GrabCoins balance.