Cornerstone Community Church held its first weekend services in its new Orchard Towers location in December 2025, and business owners are reporting a boost in foot traffic and sales, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Some business owners have even seen their revenue increased by nearly 30 per cent.

Bought retail space

Earlier reports mentioned that the church had bought over 19,000 sq ft, equivalent to six units, of retail space on the fourth floor of the mall.

One of the units was originally a disco pub converted from a cinema.

The church's presence was part of the building's management plan to reinvent the image of Orchard Towers, which has long been known as the "Four Floors of Whores".

A number of murders also took place there.

In 2023, all of their public entertainment outlets were slated to close.

Order food from cafe

Upon visiting the building, Shin Min observed that most retail units were occupied by the food and beverage industry.

Lin Huihui (transliterated), 39, and her mother Zhuo Meilan (transliterated), 66, run a pet-friendly cafe, Cafe Blossom.

Speaking to Shin Min, Lin said when they moved in around February 2025, about half of the units in the mall were vacant.

Noting that some shops were used as warehouses, she added: "Sometimes we don't have any customers at all on weekdays, and we can only rely on relatives, friends and regular customers for support."

Shin Min reported that after the church moved in, many people attended the weekend services, and the church would order food from the cafe for the Sunday morning service.

Business revenue, volume increase

Zhang Weilong (transliterated), the 40-year-old owner of a Thai restaurant at the basement, told Shin Min that foot traffic was not ideal when he moved in around September 2025.

"When the church was first established, a representative contacted us, saying that they hoped to support the surrounding catering industry," he said.

Noting that the church had booked the entire restaurant for a gathering, he said this increased the mall's foot traffic, and added that business volume has increased by about 10 per cent.

Shin Min reported that the owner of an Indonesian restaurant on the second floor who opened it in May 2025, said the mall was like a "ghost town" at the time and saw a daily turnover of only about S$300 or S$400.

She added: "Many people come down to eat after worship, and the number of customers and revenue has increased by nearly 30 per cent. After the church held an event in January this year, they also had a meal here."

A barber shop owner in his 50s, Bai Xuanying (transliterated), said some church members would visit the barber shop and make follow-up appointments, which increased business by nearly 30 per cent.

In addition, Shin Min reported that a shop that was previously a pub was occupied by a gym "chocoZap" in May 2026.

Environment has changed

Members of the public told Shin Min that there has been an increase in the number of food options and the environment is no longer "chaotic".

A 42-year-old man said he occasionally brings his son there for meals during the weekends and noted that it feels different compared to before when he seldom visited.

Having last visited two years ago, a 35-year-old woman said there are more things to eat now, and added that the place has changed "quite a bit".

Around 4am on Jun. 14, the manager of a coffee shop stall in Geylang got a call from one of her employees informing her that all 10 donation boxes had been stolen, along with over S$20,000 cash.

These boxes were placed on a trolley along the corridor at the front of the coffee shop where Kwan Tzi Zhai Vegetarian Cuisine operated.

The charity boxes collected donations from the public for various non-profit organisations, including the Buddha of Medicine Welfare Society, the Singapore Chung Hwa Medical Institution, and the Singapore Buddhist Free Clinic.

The 72-year-old manager, surnamed Zhu (transliteration), told Shin Min Daily News that it was not the first time the stall's donation boxes had been stolen.

The previous theft happened 10 years ago, and the incident prompted her to make sure the boxes were kept indoors every night after closing.

On the night of Jun. 13, however, the employee in charge of closing up was feeling unwell, and forgot this step.

Felt guilty

In response to Mothership's queries, the police said they were alerted to a case of theft at about 5:30am at Block 134 Geylang East Avenue 1, where the coffee shop was located.

When Shin Min reporters visited the scene, they saw that the cable tie that previously secured the donation boxes had been cut.

After the first theft 10 years ago, Zhu added some features to make the boxes more secure, and spent close to S$3,000 on customised steel structures.

They were apparently not enough to prevent the theft, however.

Zhu estimated that the total amount in all the boxes was between S$20,000 and S$30,000, as each box typically contained between S$2,000 and S$3,000 when the respective organisations collected the donations once a month.

She was frustrated and felt a great deal of responsibility for what happened, knowing that donations for so many organisations were affected by this theft.

"I don't understand why people would even steal charity donations," she said. "And we were always so careful. Just this once we slipped up, and the money was stolen."

The employee who closed up expressed guilt and apologised to Zhu repeatedly.

Blind spot

Zhu believed that the thief had planned the act and took advantage of the blind spots of the coffee shop's CCTV cameras.

As the incident happened after all the stalls had closed, none of their internal CCTV cameras captured what happened.

Although many cameras were installed at other areas of the coffee shop, the thief was not caught on the footage, possibly because he moved along the blind spots only, Zhu said.

An employee at the coffee shop told her that one of the trolleys used to collect used bowls and plates had also disappeared.

This made her suspect that the thief took this trolley and used it to bring the donation boxes away.

When the boxes were full, they would be very heavy, at about 4kg to 5kg each, according to Zhu.

Police investigations are ongoing.

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) plans to scale up the use of non-invasive technologies to detect underground utility networks, Minister for National Development Chee Hong Tat said on Jun. 14.

This method provides a clearer picture of what lies underground, and reduces the need for exploratory digging, which in turn reduces disruption for road users.

Speaking at the first day of the 2026 World Cities Summit Mayors Forum hosted at the Suntec Convention & Exhibition Centre, Chee explained that Singapore has already been using such technologies to supplement traditional trial trenches.

These technologies include electromagnetic locators and ground-penetrating radars.

Managing the underground space

In his speech, Chee spoke about several challenges and solutions for managing a dense, mature city.

One area he discussed was the management of Singapore's underground utilities.

"In Singapore, which is a land-scarce country, making better use of underground space is critical to optimising our limited land resources," he said.

"Beneath our city lies a complex and dense network of utility infrastructure, which requires capital planning and coordination."

However, conflicts might happen because different utility owners plan and handle their assets separately.

Underground utility records are often maintained across multiple systems and may not always be accurate, he added.

Contractors thus frequently need to carry out exploratory investigations to verify the locations of existing utilities before starting on projects.

"This can lead to repeated road openings, causing inconvenience to the public, increasing structure costs, and extending project guidelines," Chee said.

Solutions

Apart from using non-invasive utilities detection technologies, URA has also been working on improving the planning and coordination of underground utility projects.

Since 2024, the agency has put in place an enhanced workflow so that potential conflicts can be identified and resolved early before construction begins.

"To date, we have coordinated about 272km of utility corridors and avoided about S$300 million in unnecessary costs in having to re-route existing utilities halfway through construction," Chee shared.

To build more reliable shared records of Singapore's underground space, the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has been developing a centralised submission portal for project teams to submit utilities data with locational information after completing works.

This portal is being trialled on selected projects in 2026 and will be scaled up in 2027, Chee said.

Partnerships between governments & residents

Chee highlighted the importance of collaboration in tackling urban challenges from underground management to municipal services.

On providing effective municipal services, he said it depends on strong partnerships between governments, communities, and residents.

"We encourage our residents to play an active role to improve their neighbourhoods and co-create solutions together with government agencies and businesses to tackle local challenges," he continued.

To help residents do so, the Singapore government has been improving data sharing across agencies, and enhancing digital platforms for residents to provide feedback and receive updates on agencies' actions more conveniently.

The president of a Mexican engineering guild publicly apologised on Jun. 14, 2026, after he had earlier made a racist gesture during a World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic.

He was seen making a slant-eye gesture in a video that has since circulated online.

Captured in Instagram video

Held in Mexico on Jun. 11, the match was attended by a Korean YouTuber who is also known as "inocat_t" on Instagram.

In the video she posted, a man could be seen making the racist gesture at the camera.

Mexican media outlet Politico MX later identified him to be Ulises Fernando Bernal Miramontes, president of the College of Geomatics and Topographic Surveying Engineers of the State of Jalisco (CITGEJ).

Apology, removed from office

After the video sparked public backlash, Maeil Business reported that Bernal publicly apologised via an Instagram video.

He said: "I sincerely regret everything this situation has caused."

He added that he has "taken time to reflect on what happened" and understands "the responsibility" he has "at this moment".

Noting that he was not trying to justify himself, he added: "I am here to acknowledge that this situation has caused discomfort and to express my most sincere apologies in a clear and respectful manner."

In light of his actions, Bernal will be "removed from office", a CITGEJ spokesperson told New York Post.

The spokesperson added: "We are deeply saddened by what is happening regarding this incident."

Internal review

On Jun. 13, CITGEJ had earlier issued a statement addressing the incident.

Noting that the matter would be internally reviewed, it was also reported that "clarifications" will continue to be issued: "We trust the acting president will, in a personal capacity, provide the clarifications he deems appropriate, contributing to the proper clarification of the facts."

The statement emphasised that the guild was committed to "promoting a culture of respect, hospitality and healthy coexistence for all people."

Prevent similar incidents

The Korea Herald reported that Seo Kyoung Duk, a Sungkyunkwan University professor, had condemned the incident and urged Bernal to formally apologise.

He also called on FIFA to take measures that would prevent similar incidents.

"It is unimaginable that something like this would happen at the World Cup, an event where the global community joins together as one, regardless of race and nationality," he added.

The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) concluded its participation in Exercise Red Flag – Alaska, the multilateral large-scale air combat exercise.

Hosted by the United States Air Force (USAF), it was held at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, United States, from May 28 to Jun. 12.

Large-scale exercise

The RSAF deployed 10 F-16 and eight F-15SG fighter aircraft with over 250 personnel from its Peace Carvin II and Peace Carvin V detachments.

More than 60 foreign aircraft and over 2,100 personnel from the USAF and participating forces from countries including Belgium, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, also took part.

The participants engaged in a series of realistic and challenging air-to-air and air-to-ground training missions in a simulated combat environment to hone their operational competencies and sharpen combat readiness.

Clinched three awards

The RSAF clinched three awards – the "Top Mission Commander", "Top Fighter Generation Squadron" and "Top Sorties Generated" awards.

Lieutenant Colonel Zhang Jianwei, the RSAF’s Peace Carvin II Detachment Commander, said: “Exercise Red Flag – Alaska features a diverse range of demanding and complex mission scenarios."

"The awards received by our personnel are a testament to the professionalism and dedication of our airmen and women, as well as the high training standards that the RSAF upholds," he added

The USAF’s Deployed Forces Commander for the exercise, Colonel Christopher Austin added: “The RSAF truly stands out in their capabilities and their professionalism to execute tactical air operations. Exercise Red Flag – Alaska is an exceptional operation, and you see how impressive the capabilities are of the RSAF.”

Participation in this exercise underscores the long-standing and mutually beneficial defence ties between Singapore and the United States, RSAF said.

It also enhances professionalism and cooperation amongst the participating forces, and provides the RSAF an opportunity to benchmark itself with other leading air forces, RSAF added.

Malaysian tourists have been criticised online after hotel staff members in Xi'an, China, had to sort through about 1,200 parcels that were delivered to the hotel.

The incident was brought to light after the travel agency that handled the group supposedly posted a video on social media platform Xiaohongshu.

Tourists in China have the practice of purchasing items online and then have the goods delivered to their hotels for easy pick-up.

Staff sorting through parcels

In the video that was also posted by "iamelvaa_" on Instagram, individuals who appeared to be staff of the hotel could be seen sorting through a large number of parcels by hand.

They were also seen matching the parcels to the orders placed.

One tourist had to drag a large bag of items.

The video stated that 50 items apparently belonged to her group.

Backlash

The Star reported that the video has since sparked backlash against the tourists.

The tourists were criticised for being inconsiderate towards the hotel staff.

One online commenter said: "Hotel staff were forced to work overtime sorting and moving them, leaving them exhausted. The staff are not your personal parcel ­managers."

The hotel guests were also criticised for creating extra work for the already busy hotel staff.

Despite a passion for biology, Joel Tan believed for a while that higher education was not for him due to his low grades.

That was what the man from Singapore was told directly and indirectly, then seemingly affirmed when no Singapore university would take him in despite two application attempts over two years.

He decided to apply overseas, and got accepted to the University of Toronto, where he found his path in research that would lead him to a PhD in biological and biomedical sciences at Harvard.

"Someone opened a door that had been closed to me, and because of that, I eventually found my way here, to Harvard," he said in a student address at the May 28 hooding ceremony for Harvard Medical School-affiliated PhD programmes.

"Not a realistic path"

Recounting his journey in the speech, Tan shared that his path in education was "not always obvious or straightforward" growing up in Singapore.

"In high school, I really wanted to study biology, but I was told many, many times that it was not a realistic path for me," he said.

"My middle school grades were not good enough for the supposed rigours of biology classes, and I was forced to take the easier sciences like physics and chemistry."

His grades suffered in those subjects because he was not given a chance to study what he was truly interested in.

Opening doors

When the University of Toronto took a chance on him by accepting him into their undergraduate programme, that chance "changed" his life.

Tan was finally able to take his first biology class, and the school also gave him access to mentors, labs, and a community that allowed him to discover who he could become through science.

"I often think about how much of my life depended on someone, somewhere, deciding that my past performance did not have to define my future potential," he said.

He added: "There are people with curiosity, creativity, and potential who may never get a chance to show what they can really do unless an institution, a mentor, or a community opens the door for them."

"Potential is everywhere"

He used his roughly 11-minute speech to highlight the importance of diversity in the student body, saying that the collision of people from different countries and backgrounds makes science and research stronger.

"We need people who arrived here with perfect grades and people who needed that third chance," he said. "We need people whose paths were straightforward and people whose paths were anything but, because science is stronger when more people can contribute to it."

He urged his fellow graduates to become people that open doors for others, to make science more welcoming and accessible to the next generation:

"Talent is everywhere. Curiosity is everywhere. Potential is everywhere. And if there's anything that we've learned on this long road to the stage, it is that sometimes a single opportunity is all you need to achieve your goals."

According to the speaker who introduced Tan, he will continue his research as a postdoctoral fellow, focusing on addressing neurodegeneration.

The police are looking for the driver of a white BMW car that allegedly self-skidded in Sengkang on Jun. 12.

An image of the car, left on a footpath, was posted in the SGRoad Blocks / Traffic News Telegram group.

The image showed the driver's door open, and the car appeared to have been left on a slope.

Sengkang East Drive

Responding to Mothership's queries, the police said that at about 9:35pm on Jun. 12, they were alerted to an accident involving a car, which was believed to have self-skidded along Sengkang East Drive towards Upper Serangoon Road.

The police said no injuries were reported and the car driver apparently left the scene before the police arrived.

Efforts to trace the car driver are underway and police investigations are ongoing.

While attempting a bungee jump in Limeira, Brazil on Jun. 13, a woman died after staff threw her off the bridge without a safety rope attached.

The woman, who was pronounced dead at the scene, has been identified as Maria Eduarda Rodrigues de Freitas, 21, a resident of Brazil, The Sun reported.

Videos have circulated online showing three employees holding her up while walking on a plank to the edge of Ponte do Esqueleto, a bridge about 40m above ground.

Two staff eventually hoisted the victim in the air before tossing her off.

No harness appeared to be attached to her.

Right after the staff hurled her down, voices in the background shouted about the rope.

A rope could be seen in the video, coiled and unused on the ground.

Forgot to connect the rope

According to the local police, witnesses said the employees had forgotten to connect the safety equipment to de Freitas before the jump.

The Sun reported that six people were arrested at the scene in relation to the incident, but Brazilian media ACidade ON reported this number as three.

Police officers also said the two men in charge of preparing de Freitas for the jump claimed they could not remember what happened moments before the fall, and what the mistake was.

The Limeira City Council said it will file a complaint against the Brazilian federal government.

The mayor highlighted that the Ponte do Esqueleto has "presented known risks for years and still lacks the necessary protection measures", as quoted by Mirror.

Prior to the incident, de Freitas reportedly posted Instagram stories about her impending jump.

In one, she shared a photo of the bridge from afar, and wrote, "Who was the crazy person who let me jump off a bridge?"

In order to transform their flat into a "luxury home", a couple in Singapore spent over S$500,000 on renovations to include walls almost entirely covered in marble-patterned slabs and a gaming room.

The 10-year-old resale flat, which belongs to 39-year-old Hengky Weng and his wife, is located at Block 475A Upper Serangoon Crescent in the Hougang area, Shin Min Daily News reported.

'Luxurious feel'

Speaking to Shin Min, Weng said he wanted an "ultra-luxurious modern design" with a unique style from the start.

"I am very interested in design," he said.

He added: "I searched for a lot of information online. I wanted my home to have a luxurious feel, so that when I stepped into my home, I would feel like I was staying in a high-end hotel."

Marble-patterned slabs, gaming room

Upon entering the flat, Shin Min observed that the entrance hall had a full wall of marble.

There was also a stainless steel water ripple panel, which reflected the interior.

The house was covered in large floor tiles, with almost all the walls, including the balcony area, having marble-patterned slabs with natural textures of varying shades complemented by stainless steel titanium edges.

Weng had also turned one of the bedrooms into a "cyberpunk-style" gaming room, which had a "meteor shower" lighting effect on the ceiling, as well as customisable wall lights.

He also converted the master bedroom into a walk-in closet.

Renovation process took a year

Noting that the entire renovation process took a year, Weng said this was because the transportation of the sintered stone slabs was very challenging.

He added that the entire project was delayed as one batch had cracked and had to be re-ordered and transported, Shin Min reported.

"The S$500,000 cost includes the cost of decoration, furniture and appliances," he said, adding that "the largest expense is the custom-made slabs, manual handling of tiles, tile cutting and pre-arrangement of marble-patterned tiles, which amount to about S$150,000".

Design changed nearly 40 times

The renovation process also saw the flat's design plan being amended nearly 40 times and changed the interior design studio three times before Weng was satisfied with the result.

He likened the renovation process to a big project, where he hired someone specifically to draw a 3D rendering and design the texture of the slabs.

Weng told Shin Min that he had fortunately obtained his wife's approval for an "ultra-luxurious modern design".

"The result is better than I expected and we plan to move in at the end of June," he said.

1st house

Noting that this flat is the couple's first home, Weng told Shin Min that many people urged them not to spend so much money on renovations.

He said, however, that he was willing to invest this amount of money to achieve a result he would be satisfied with.

Weng added that not everyone would like or be able to accept such a design, especially with the walls covered in marbled patterns, which some people might view as "too much", he noted.

He said that if the house had to be sold in future, he would have to find a buyer who could appreciate and accept such a design.

He also said he was aware such a home renovation would spark debate.