A 45-year-old early intervention teacher at a kindergarten was sentenced to 18 months’ jail after using a pen to repeatedly jab a six-year-old boy with special needs.

She pleaded guilty to one charge under the Children and Young Persons Act and was sentenced on Jun. 22, Lianhe Zaobao reported.

A gag order was imposed to protect the victim’s identity.

Special needs

The accused was an early intervention teacher at a kindergarten with about 10 years’ experience in early childhood education.

The boy, who was diagnosed with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and delayed language development, was a student in the kindergarten's early intervention programme designed for children with special needs.

The accused was the boy’s form teacher.

Pen

On Nov. 16, 2022, at about 3pm, the boy walked towards a table with stationery on it.

The accused grabbed a pen from the table and rushed towards the boy.

She then repeatedly jabbed his head with the pen.

The boy attempted to dodge her attacks and knelt on one knee.

He then fell backwards with his legs kicking.

The accused did not stop and continued to jab the boy repeatedly.

She only stopped after the boy started rubbing his head many times.

She then left him on the floor mat and went away.

Cover up

The accused attempted to cover up the incident.

On the day of the incident, she sent photos of the boy’s injuries to a group chat that included his parents.

She falsely claimed that the boy injured himself with a toy.

The accused also called the boy’s mother and repeated the same account.

However, the boy’s mother did not believe the accused’s claims and requested the kindergarten’s principal to investigate the incident.

The accused's actions were discovered after the classroom’s surveillance footage was reviewed.

The principal informed the boy’s mother, and a police report was lodged on the following day, on Nov. 17, 2022.

The accused was also dismissed from the kindergarten on the same day.

Injuries

The boy was taken to the hospital for an examination.

He suffered two abrasions on his scalp and another abrasion on his left brow ridge.

He was given nine days of medical leave.

Duties

The prosecution argued that the accused’s role as an early intervention teacher and the boy’s form teacher meant she had a duty to care for him.

However, she attacked the boy unprovoked and tried to cover up her actions.

The boy not only suffered head injuries, but also frequently cried for no reason after the incident, and his sleep and appetite were affected.

The prosecution further argued that the accused repeatedly delayed court proceedings and did not plead guilty at the earliest possible time.

The prosecution urged the judge to sentence her to 23 to 27 months’ imprisonment.

The accused's lawyer argued that the accused was a first-time offender with no prior complaints, citing her good track record before the incident.

A lighter sentence was sought, citing the accused's emotionally distressed state at the time of the incident as her father was ill.

A man molested and harassed a flight attendant on board a Singapore Airlines flight, including cornering her alone in the galley of the plane.

Akash Tiwari, pleaded guilty to one count each of molestation and harassment, and was sentenced to six months’ jail on Jun. 22.

The 35-year-old Indian national was also ordered to pay compensation of S$1,270.95.

Rowdy group of friends

According to court documents seen by Mothership, Akash was a passenger on the Singapore Airlines flight from Bangkok, Thailand, to Singapore with four friends on Feb. 9.

The group had been observed to be "rowdy and talking loudly", frantically waving and laughing whenever female crew walked past their aisle, the prosecutor said.

Before the flight took off from Bangkok, the victim approached Akash and his group to confirm their meals.

Akash then stretched out his arm to brush against the victim’s left upper thigh while she was speaking to his friend.

This shocked the victim, but Akash and his friends started laughing, the prosecutor said.

The victim told the chief flight stewardess on the flight, who assigned the victim to serve meals in an aisle away from Akash.

Molested victim

After meals were served, the victim was on tray collection duty and pushing the meal cart towards the front of the aircraft.

She was on the side of Akash’s aisle, pushing the meal cart forward with her back facing him.

He then suddenly leaned out of his aisle and swerved his body towards the victim, nudging his left elbow onto the victim’s buttock area.

The shocked victim told Akash not to touch her, but instead of apologising, he smirked.

The victim was even more distressed and repeated to him not to touch her, the prosecutor said.

Akash’s friend, one Jay Shankar, burst out laughing and told the victim he would like to have a beer and watch the “show”.

The victim and the chief flight stewardess later confronted Akash, but he remained unapologetic and insisted he did not do anything wrong.

Cornered her alone

At around that time, the captain announced that the plane was preparing for landing and the victim left for the galley.

Meanwhile, the chief flight stewardess went to see her supervisor and the flight captain to report the molest.

To the victim’s alarm, Akash followed her into the galley, where there was no one else and stood extremely close to her.

The victim was distressed and told him to stay away from her, but Akash persisted, moving even closer and cornering her.

She shouted at him to stay away and to stop following her, but he continued to do so, despite her repeatedly telling him to stay away.

Passengers in the aisle saw what happened, the prosecutor said.

Akash only went away after the victim went to the chief stewardess for help.

By this time, she was in tears and visibly frightened as both her hands were shaking.

The flight captain reported the matter to SIN Hub, an aviation and logistics hub at Changi Airport.

Akash was arrested after the plane landed in Singapore.

A Singaporean man who was arrested at a supermarket for molestation later exposed himself to a female officer at the police station.

On Jun. 22, M.S. Chandru Suryakanth was sentenced to 12 weeks’ jail after pleading guilty to one count of sexual exposure and one charge of outrage of modesty, reported The Straits Times.

According to court documents seen by Mothership, the incident occurred at about 11:44pm on Apr. 7, 2026, at a supermarket in Sembawang.

Molested woman

The victim had paid for her groceries and was walking down an aisle to exit the supermarket when Chandru was walking along the same aisle but in a different direction.

When the victim walked past Chandru, he used his left hand to swipe against the victim's thigh, resulting in skin-on-skin contact.

The victim turned around and shouted at Chandru, who quickly apologised before walking away from the victim.

Distressed by Chandru's conduct, the victim called her husband, who arrived at the supermarket shortly after and confronted Chandru.

The police arrived soon after and arrested him.

Pulled his pants down to his knees

After his arrest, Chandru was escorted to the Woodlands Police Divisional Headquarters.

As per the police's standard operating procedure, he underwent a body search by two police officers at about 2:04am.

According to court documents, one of the officers, a 24-year-old woman, asked Chandru to remove the white drawstring from his track pants.

Instead of complying, Chandru pulled his pants to his knees, exposing his genitals to the police officer.

Court documents said that Chandru intended for the female police officer to see his genitals, to cause her distress.

The other officer asked Chandru to pull his pants back up to his waist level, and he complied.

Sentencing

The deputy public prosecutor (DPP) sought a sentence of at least nine weeks' imprisonment to three months and three weeks for Chandru.

The DPP noted that both sentences were to run consecutively as they were distinct offences which concern different legally protected interests.

An offender can face up to a year of jail, a fine or both for exposing his or her genitals to another person without consent.

For outrage of modesty, an offender can face a maximum of three years' jail, a fine, caning or receive any combination of such punishments.

A 43-year-old married man in Singapore said he borrowed around S$60,000 from banks and licensed moneylenders over six months to give to and spend on a masseuse he had developed feelings for.

She then left the country and he has been unable to recover his money.

Deng, a logistics worker, told Shin Min Daily News that he first met the 44-year-old masseuse, surnamed Li, at a massage parlour in Toa Payoh on Dec. 27, 2025.

He said: "I visited her several times, and she would always take the initiative to chat with me, get to know my situation, and come to me for help when things happened. Gradually, we started calling each other brother and sister."

The two then entered into a relationship at the end of February 2026.

"Suffocating under the debt"

In March, Deng noticed Li seemed increasingly distressed.

According to Shin Min, when pressed, she revealed she was in financial trouble.

He said: "She had apparently borrowed a large sum of money from relatives and friends to renovate her new house in China, and was burdened with a huge debt that was suffocating her."

She allegedly told him creditors were showing up at her home and even chasing her mother for repayment.

Deng then decided to lend her money.

He claimed he first sent S$5,017 via a local remittance company to Li's mother.

Li then asked him to withdraw cash and transfer it directly into her account.

"She would then transfer money to her mother in front of me, so I didn't suspect anything," he said.

He transferred money to her over five to six transactions, totalling at least S$40,000.

He also spent around S$20,000 on her, including boosting her sales targets and buying her a new iPhone.

Deng said that since his wife managed his salary, he had little cash on hand and had to turn to banks and licensed moneylenders to fund the loans.

"In just half a year I owed about S$60,000 in debt," he told Shin Min.

Broke up, can't get the money back

The couple later fell out, and Deng asked for the money back.

He asked for just S$20,000 back at first, not wanting to pressure her too much.

"She initially agreed, but later went back on her word," he said.

When he went to find her at her workplace, the massage parlour was empty.

According to Deng, Li had previously worked at a massage parlour at Lorong 4 Toa Payoh, but after Shin Min reported on illicit services there and the police raided it, she allegedly relocated to Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4.

"Now she seems to have left and returned to her home country," he said.

A colleague of Li's confirmed to Shin Min that she had left Singapore and could no longer be contacted.

Deng said he shared his story as a warning to others.

"This time I really spent a lot of money to learn a lesson," he said.

Troubled marriage

According to Deng, he and his wife are estranged.

He said he is married legally by name, as he and his wife have not spoken for a long time and sleep in separate rooms under the same roof.

He grew closer to the masseuse as a result, he admitted.

Deng added that he even went to China with Li previously.

He was there to help her break off her relationship with her boyfriend, who apparently treated her harshly, and to meet her parents.

He said: "She also told me that this was the first time she had brought her boyfriend home to meet her parents."

Spent money on booking her services

Deng said he spent S$600 to book her massage services for five hours on the eve of Chinese New Year this year.

This was after she vomited and had diarrhoea, and he wanted her to take the time instead to rest and recuperate.

He said: "It cost S$50 per hour, plus a tip of S$70 per hour."

"I later took her to a hotel, just so she could rest and not work so hard," he added.

A 36-year-old man was conveyed conscious to the hospital after his car overturned along Serangoon Central.

The incident, which involved three taxis and a car, occurred around midnight on Jun. 20 at the drop-off point outside the Nex shopping mall.

The accident, involving three taxis and a car, happened around midnight off the drop-off point outside Nex shopping mall.

According to photos circulating online, a white vehicle, a Citreon, could be seen resting on its roof.

Traffic police and an ambulance were also present at the scene.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force said the male car driver was conveyed conscious to Tan Tock Seng Hospital.

The man is assisting with ongoing police investigations.

Another person was also assessed to have minor injuries, but refused to be conveyed to the hospital.

A family was seen having a meal inside an IKEA showroom display on Jun. 21.

According to a Facebook post uploaded to the Complaint Singapore page, the photos were taken at around 11:20am at IKEA Tampines.

Facebook user, OrangeDragon3045, captioned the post saying: "Whole family eating at showflat. Yumyum, who cares if I disturb other shoppers?"

"I told the grandma this is not allowed in Singapore, she replied [he's] just a kid."

In response to queries from Mothership, an IKEA spokesperson said: "We encourage our customers to feel right at home in our IKEA room settings because they’re designed to inspire everyday life at home in Singapore."

However, IKEA noted that customers who wish to have a meal should do so at its restaurant facilities instead.

Hygiene and food safety considerations

In the pictures, an elderly woman and a child could be seen sitting on display chairs in the showroom.

An uncapped water bottle and an open styrofoam box containing food were placed on the table.

The child held cutlery and seemed to be digging into his meal.

The IKEA spokesperson said, "Eating in showroom settings comes with hygiene and food safety considerations and can interrupt the experience for other shoppers."

"To ensure a comfortable and enjoyable shopping experience for everyone, we invite hungry customers to enjoy their meals in our IKEA Swedish Restaurant, where plates, cutlery, and a more comfortable setting are ready for families of all sizes."

The IKEA spokesperson added: "Our co-workers are on hand to provide guidance and support to customers where needed."

Alan Greenspan, the U.S. Federal Reserve's former chairman, died aged 100 on Jun. 22, 2026.

He died from complications of Parkinson's Disease, according to BBC and NBC News.

He had earlier become a centenarian in March 2026.

Greenspan's wife, Andrea Mitchell, called her husband "a giant of a man" in a statement.

It added that he "helped shape the U.S. economy for decades under presidents of both parties, but was always honest in acknowledging his mistakes".

Safeguarding economy

As the chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006, he had the responsibility of safeguarding the U.S. economy and "keeping the dollar sound" for almost two decades, BBC reported.

It is the U.S. central bank, created by the Federal Reserve Act of 1913 to establish a monetary system to respond effectively to stresses in the banking system, its website states.

His post was said to be the second most important after the presidency, according to BBC, adding that he oversaw the longest sustained period of U.S. economic growth in that generation.

Financial Times reported that according to the late John McCain, the former Republican senator from Arizona, Greenspan's role was so critical that if he died in office, he should be "propped up and kept in charge".

Previous roles

Prior to becoming chairman of the Federal Reserve, Greenspan worked as an economic consultant before becoming a board member of banking institution JP Morgan.

FT reported that after offering Richard Nixon economic advice and polling analysis during his presidential election campaign, Greenspan later became chairman of Gerald Ford's Council of Economic Advisers.

In the early 1980s, former U.S. president Ronald Reagan appointed Greenspan to chair a commission considering reforms to the public pensions system.

Reagan then promoted him to chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve in August 1987.

1987 stock market crash

Shortly after, Greenspan was faced with the October 1987 stock market crash.

According to BBC, though this saw more than 30 per cent wiped off share prices, his handling of the situation was described as "astute".

Noting that his facilitation of cheap credit helped keep banks afloat, BBC reported that Greenspan's approach was used whenever markets were in crisis.

Downturn in housing market

However, his policy of low interest rates was said to have fuelled a sharp rise in house prices and over-enthusiastic selling of mortgages by banks.

The New York Times reported that at one point, he was blamed by a group of critics for not heading off a housing bubble by pushing interest rates higher.

Despite that, Greenspan's contributions saw him receiving an honorary knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II.

In 2005, former U.S. president George W. Bush handed him the highest civilian award in the U.S., the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Over 100 migrant workers, primarily from India and Bangladesh, approached the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) Services Centre in Bendemeer on Jun. 22 regarding their outstanding salary payments and housing arrangements.

In response to Mothership's queries, MOM said they were providing the workers with the necessary assistance, together with the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM).

The workers are work permit holders from KPA Engineering Pte Ltd and SK Industries Pte Ltd.

According to CNA, two workers from KPA Engineering said they had not been paid their wages for about three months.

One said he is owed more than S$4,000 and has not been able to get in contact with his bosses.

Providing assistance

Ng Hwei Min, general manager for TADM, told the media that they are helping the workers with their salary claims and are also reaching out to the employers to find out more about their current situation.

"We understand that the current period is a difficult and uncertain one for the workers. Our immediate priority is to assist the workers by providing them with the necessary support during this period," Ng said.

She added that they are working very closely with the Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) to provide support for the workers, including ensuring that they have access to appropriate housing and meals.

During this period, workers will also be allowed to change employers, so that they can look for new employment should they wish to continue working in Singapore.

MOM is also investigating the companies for any breaches of employment laws, Ng said.

MOM will take the necessary and appropriate enforcement action against the companies should they be found to have breached any of the employment laws.

Workers had no money for food and transport

Director of Migrant Workers Segment at NTUC, Michael Lim, said MWC has taken immediate action on Jun. 22 morning to meet and help the affected migrant workers.

"When MWC met the migrant workers at the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) this morning, many had little or no money for food or transportation," Lim said.

MWC has since stepped in to take care of their immediate needs, arranging for food and transportation assistance.

MWC is also providing further support, including temporary shelter and a change of employment, should any of the migrant workers need it, he added.

Additionally, MWC visited the dormitory of the migrant workers later in the evening and engaged more than 300 workers to hear their concerns and offer them assurance and assistance.

MWC will be helping the affected migrant workers pursue their salary claims through TADM, Lim shared.

"While their claims are being worked out, MWC will continue to take care of the migrant workers’ more immediate needs and help them through this difficult period," he added.

"MWC encourages any migrant worker who is owed salaries or facing workplace issues to seek help early.

No worker should face these problems alone, and MWC will stand by those who come forward so that they can receive the support and guidance they need.

Workers can approach MWC for assistance via MWC’s 24-Hour Helpline: 6536 2692"

A 39-year-old Singaporean man was sentenced on Jun. 22, 2026, to 28 days' jail and banned from driving for 30 months after he cut in front of moving vehicles on the road and braked.

CNA reported that Desmond Teo Wei Kiat pleaded guilty to one count of driving dangerously, with a second charge taken into consideration during sentencing.

Charge sheets and court documents seen by Mothership stated that the private-hire driver, who had a history of traffic violations, first cut in front of a taxi and braked repeatedly.

At the time, the taxi driver tried to avoid him, but their vehicles later collided.

CNA reported that though this caused Teo to be arrested and released on bail, he still cut into another driver's lane in a separate incident and braked abruptly.

2023 incident

Charge sheets and court documents stated that the incident involving the taxi occurred at about 4:25am on Dec. 29, 2023.

A 41-year-old taxi driver had been driving from Tampines Expressway (Seletar Expressway) to Sengkang East Road, with Teo ahead of the cabby.

After Teo switched from the first to the second lane, the taxi driver overtook him.

This made Teo feel that the taxi driver had encroached into his lane and forced him to brake in order to avoid contact between the vehicles.

Shortly after, the taxi driver took the exit and drove along Sengkang East Road towards Buangkok Green.

The taxi driver then stopped at a red light at the junction of Sengkang East Road and Compassvale Street and was the first vehicle in the fourth lane.

Trying to avoid contact

In addition, Teo followed the taxi driver and drove his car along the fifth lane.

He then cut into the fourth lane in front of the taxi, where he stopped his vehicle diagonally in front of the taxi driver as Teo wanted to turn right at the next junction.

As a result, to avoid contact, the taxi driver was forced to move his taxi slightly to the right.

When the traffic light turned green, Teo drove off, braking abruptly four times in short succession before driving straight along Sengkang East Road towards Buangkok Green.

Collision

After the taxi driver followed behind Teo and began to switch lanes, Teo also did the same and braked abruptly, forcing the taxi driver to brake to avoid a collision with Teo.

When the vehicles approached the junction of Sengkang East Road and Sengkang East Way, the taxi driver, who intended to turn right, was in lane one, a right-turn-only lane.

A lorry that drove on lane two separated Teo, who was driving along lane three.

Teo then cut in front of the lorry when the taxi driver turned right, where he collided with the taxi while veering right towards the cabby.

CNA reported that the taxi driver, whose taxi was scratched and dented, alighted and examined the damage, which the driver paid S$2,900 to repair.

However, Teo did not alight from his vehicle and drove off at about 4:31am.

Court documents stated that Teo was arrested on May 7, 2025, and released on bail the same day.

2025 incident

In another incident, at about 7:10am on Dec. 9, 2025, Teo and a 44-year-old female driver were both driving along Pasir Panjang Road towards Clementi.

When Teo switched lanes in front of her, she flashed her high beam lights at him several times as she felt he had cut into her lane.

In response, Teo braked abruptly and veered slightly to the left, which forced the woman to also brake abruptly to avoid contact.

When the woman switched to another lane away from Teo, he swerved into her lane without signalling and braked abruptly again.

This forced her to also brake abruptly and swerve into another lane to avoid contact.

However, Teo veered partially into her lane and braked abruptly again, forcing her once again to brake abruptly to avoid contact.

He did this because he wished to stop the woman from confronting her over her flashing of high beams at him.

Court documents stated that at the time of the offence, the weather was good.

In addition, the road surface was dry, visibility was clear, and the volume of traffic was light.

Court

In seeking five to 10 weeks' jail and 24 months' disqualification from driving for Teo, the deputy public prosecutor (DPP) noted that Teo had engaged in a sustained pattern of dangerous driving in the two incidents.

The DPP added that Teo, who has a poor driving record, has multiple compounded traffic offences, including speeding, driving without reasonable consideration and careless driving.

This refers to traffic violations paid with out-of-court fines, CNA reported.

In asking for five weeks' jail instead, Teo's lawyer said that though his client's actions were due to a lapse in judgment, he cooperated fully with the authorities during investigations, according to CNA.

According to CNA, the lawyer added that Teo, who is employed as a limo and private-hire vehicle driver, was grieving the loss of his younger brother, which also saw the family facing significant financial hardship due to substantial outstanding mortgage obligations.

He was also facing acute emotional distress in his current divorce proceedings, his lawyer said.

Penalties

CNA reported that in view of Teo's poor driving record, District Judge Lorraine Ho imposed a longer driving ban than what the prosecution sought.

Noting that there were elements of road rage in his actions, she said Teo had driven in a "rather aggressive" manner.

For dangerous driving, he could have been jailed for up to 12 months, fined up to S$5,000 and given a driving ban.

The Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) said it has heard the recent calls from the public for dialect movies to be screened more freely in Singapore cinemas.

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) will take a more "flexible approach" in considering applications for such screenings.

The ministry added that it will remain open to facilitating and supporting further Teochew screenings of the movie "Dear You", should the distributor wish to apply for them, in response to audience interest.

These remarks were included in a Jun. 22 statement from MDDI, hours after the second slate of screenings for the Chinese movie in its original Teochew dialect were released due to high demand.

Welcomes the conversation

MDDI thanked members of the public for their feedback and interest in the release of "Dear You".

"We welcome the broader conversation it has sparked about Chinese dialects and cultural identity in Singapore," the ministry said.

While the movie is mainly filmed in the Teochew dialect, it has been dubbed in Mandarin for its general release in Singapore.

The initial round of 10 screenings in Teochew, launched by operator Golden Village and distributor Clover Films, were sold out within two hours on Jun. 16.

Due to "overwhelming audience response", they added eight more screenings, which was supported by IMDA.

These screenings were sold out in under an hour and a half on Jun. 22, with wait times of up to four hours, according to a Mothership reader.

About 200 people queued in person at Golden Village's VivoCity outlet to secure a ticket, according to 8world.

Role of dialects

In their statement, MDDI reiterated the government's longstanding policy to promote Mandarin as one of our four official languages.

"This has helped to strengthen Mandarin proficiency across generations and facilitate communication among Chinese Singaporeans from different dialect backgrounds," the ministry said, adding that these objectives "remain relevant today".

It also acknowledged that dialects are an important part of Singapore’s cultural heritage.

"There is also growing interest, including among younger Singaporeans, in learning and appreciating dialects as part of understanding their heritage."

Today, the government supports the use of dialects in practical ways, MDDI added.

They include through the communication of important public information in dialects, Mediacorp programmes for seniors, and arts and cultural productions.

MDDI distinguished the role of Mandarin and that of other Chinese dialects in Singapore society.

"Mandarin continues to play an important unifying role among Chinese Singaporeans, while dialects remain a valued part of Singapore’s cultural heritage and identity," it said.

"We are encouraged by the growing interest in dialects, including among younger Singaporeans," the ministry added, stating that it will keep reviewing its approach to support the appreciation and use of dialects in Singapore.