A 61-year-old Serbian man onboard a Ryanair plane on Jul. 10 was nearly sucked head-first out of a shattered window in mid-air.

He was reportedly saved by his wife and fellow passengers holding onto him.

Tracking data showed the plane was in the air for about 10 minutes when it abruptly descended 2,700m, according to BBC.

Passengers reportedly told local media that pieces of the jet's engine smashed the window, though this has not been confirmed by the airline.

The incident took place on Ryanair flight FR18799, which was going from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany.

Treated for friction burns

The man's wife reportedly held onto his legs for around five minutes to stop him from being sucked out.

Passengers also told local media the man was hanging out as far as his shoulders from the window before other passengers managed to pull him back inside.

The man is now being treated in the hospital for friction burns.

"He is in shock, remains conscious," said Michalis Giannakos, president of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees.

Ryanair statement

In a statement, Ryanair said the flight bound for Memmingen returned "shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged in flight".

"The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal. One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki," the Irish budget airline said.

“In order to minimise any delay, a replacement aircraft was arranged to bring passengers to Memmingen, which departed Thessaloniki at 9:53am local time this morning,” the airline said, according to The Guardian.

Passengers recount experience

While Ryanair did not comment on the cause of the incident, passengers on board the flight told local media the window was smashed by pieces of the jet's engine.

"We immediately realised there had been a decompression. There were screams... for a moment I thought someone had accidentally opened the emergency door," one passenger said.

"The masks dropped and there was a strong smell. The head and shoulders of one passenger were outside the window. Fortunately, he hadn't taken off his seat belt."

Another passenger said they thought the plane was "going down" and described the decompression as "extreme".

"It felt like we couldn't breathe. The man who was injured was bleeding and then lost consciousness several times, most likely because of the lack of oxygen and the shock," the passenger said.

Investigations ongoing

BBC reported that the aircraft is believed to have been an 18-year-old plane that was operated by Ryanair's subsidiary Malta Air.

Thessaloniki airport's operator Fraport Greece said that the Hellenic Air and Rail Safety Investigation Authority is investigating the incident.

The operator added that it is "fully co-operating" with all relevant stakeholders and has "activated the established emergency response procedures following the aircraft's forced return".

The Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) also said it was aware of the incident and would provide any assistance to investigators, BBC reported.

A 73-year-old taxi driver who lost consciousness while driving along the East Coast Parkway (ECP) on Jul. 6 has died, the police said.

Died in hospital

In an update, the police told Mothership they were alerted at about 12:50pm that day to an accident involving a taxi that was believed to have self-skidded.

The 73-year-old male driver had been taken to Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), where he subsequently died.

Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) also confirmed it received a call for assistance along the ECP towards the Marina Coastal Expressway (MCE) at about 12:50pm on Jul. 6, and conveyed one person to TTSH.

What happened

The driver had been ferrying a passenger and her young son from Jewel Changi Airport towards Crawford Lane when he became unresponsive at the wheel.

Winnie Lee, 36, who was seated in the back of the ComfortDelGro taxi with her six-year-old son, recounted how the taxi had begun veering towards the road shoulder while travelling along the ECP.

She said the driver had appeared sleepy, and when she asked if he was all right, he replied that he was fine.

When she suggested he pull over to rest, he responded by asking: "Where do I stop?"

That was the driver's last response before he became unresponsive, Lee said.

Police investigations into the accident are ongoing.

Mothership has reached out to ComfortDelGro for comment on the driver's death.

It could soon be an offence to hold a phone in your hand while driving, regardless of whether you are using it or not.

The Road Traffic (Miscellaneous Amendments) Bill, tabled in Parliament on Jul. 7, will remove the need for traffic police to prove that the phone was being used while held.

But what if you want to get a quick bite, take a sip of water, or light up a cigarette while on the road?

Will that be an offence?

Calibrated approach

Responding to Mothership's queries, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said it has taken a "calibrated approach" in the Bill's proposed amendments and "focused on the use of mobile communication devices while driving".

"That has been associated with a greater risk of driver distraction as compared to eating, drinking, or smoking," MHA explained.

The Road Traffic Act was first amended in 2014 to make it an offence to hold and use any type of mobile communication device while driving.

The law was expanded to include surfing the web, visiting social media platforms and downloading material and not just prohibiting calling or texting.

The Jul. 7 Bill will make it an offence for drivers to hold a mobile communication device while their vehicle is in motion.

Prove of usage will be removed under the Bill's proposed amendments.

A mobile communication device refers to a mobile phone, or any wireless handheld device or wearable device designed or capable of being used for communication, and includes tablets and smart watches.

Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel

However, MHA cautioned that motorists should "focus on operating their vehicle and avoid being distracted while driving".

The ministry said:

"While the acts of eating, drinking or smoking while driving are not offences in and of themselves, the driver may still be liable for offences such as driving without due care and attention or reasonable consideration, or reckless or dangerous driving, if such actions result in the driver driving carelessly or recklessly, or contribute to an accident."

Remaining fully focused on the road and maintaining proper control of their vehicle at all times is still the driver's responsibility, MHA emphasised.

Drivers should refrain from engaging in behaviour that "distract them" or "compromise the safety" of themselves and other road users.

AI videos?

The changes proposed in the Bill will also allow traffic police to enforce the offence using camera footage or photographic and video evidence submitted by the public, improving the detection of such offences.

In response to queries about the reliability and authenticity of photographic and videographic evidence submitted by the public in the age of artificial intelligence, MHA said the traffic police "considers all available evidence... and the facts of each case before determining whether an offence has been committed".

"Those who knowingly submit false information will be dealt with sternly in accordance with the law," it also said.

Penalites

While the Bill proposes to amend the law when it comes to holding a phone while driving, the penalties will remain unchanged for such an offence.

First-time offenders prosecuted in court face a maximum fine of S$1,000, up to six months' jail, or both.

Repeat offenders may be fined up to S$2,000, jailed for up to 12 months, or both.

Offences committed in school zones, silver zones, or Friendly Zones Streets incur two additional demerit points and an additional S$100 fine.

Under the current law, a driver commits an offence if he or she holds a mobile communication device and uses any of its communicative or other functions while the vehicle is in motion.

No proof of harm is required.

In response to previous media queries, MHA said, "There is no reason for a driver to hold a handphone while the vehicle is in motion, at the risk of distracting the driver and endangering road users. And as such, it would be considered an offence."

The Bill will be tabled for its second reading at the next Parliament sitting.

It will be put to a vote in Parliament following the third reading.

A man alighted from a Singapore bus to discover he had accidentally left behind a paper bag containing S$20,000 in cash.

Thanks to the swift response of an SBS Transit bus captain and interchange staff, they successfully recovered the bag, winning praise online for their honest deed.

S$20,000 cash in a paper bag

In a Facebook post by the transport operator, the passenger, surnamed Ma, was distressed to realise he had left his paper bag on a bus and called Yishun Interchange for help.

Assistant Interchange Supervisor Lalastella Tse, who received the frantic call, admitted she was "shocked at the large amount" of money involved.

Tse quickly worked with the operations control centre to trace the bus Ma had taken, identifying it as service 851.

Found by fellow passenger

At the same time, bus captain Giam Ming Huat had already been alerted to the lost bag by another passenger.

Giam retrieved the bag and kept it safe until he returned to the interchange.

Ma later arrived at the interchange to verify his belongings and found the full amount intact.

He explained that the S$20,000 was meant for his workers' salaries.

Expressing his gratitude, Ma said: "I was really surprised by how quickly the staff handled my case and found my bag. I’m truly grateful for their help!"

Netizens have since applauded the SBS Transit staff for their honesty, professionalism, and quick teamwork.

A fried chicken chain in Taiwan faced a food safety investigation after a video surfaced of an employee stomping barefoot on raw chicken skin while joking to the camera that he was "exfoliating" it.

The video showed a shirtless male employee standing in a basin filled with chicken skin and repeatedly stomping on it.

Several other basins containing what appeared to be more chicken skin were also visible in the background.

The restaurant involved is Wu Liang Wu Fried Chicken's Taiping branch in Taichung, according to UDN.

台中伍兩五炸雞爆食安爭議　踩雞皮影片引發撻伐　食安處介入稽查、業者稱涉事食材已報廢 pic.twitter.com/uHphwPEaBU

— 記者爆料網 (@zhe_wang71411) July 9, 2026

Consumers furious

The video drew immediate backlash, with many saying they would never eat at the restaurant again.

Online commenters flooded the shop's Google reviews with one-star ratings and renamed the listing "Barefoot Fried Chicken Specialist" and "Foot Reflexology Shop".

Some former customers also left comments demanding refunds, per UDN.

Shop apologises, says chicken skin was discarded waste

The restaurant issued an apology statement on Threads on Jul. 9, saying that the chicken skin in the video was scrapped food waste that had not been sold to customers, and that the employee had filmed it as a prank without realising it would be shared publicly.

The statement said the employee had been dismissed and that the company would pursue legal action against him.

It also said the restaurant would strengthen staff training and was cooperating fully with authorities.

Unconvinced

According to UDN, the apology did little to win back public trust.

Many commenters questioned the "discarded waste" explanation given the large quantity of chicken skin visible in the video.

One commenter wrote: "This much and you're telling us it's waste? Great PR."

Another said: "I don't believe it for a second. The person in the video is clearly the boss. Consumers can all see it."

A third questioned: "Can any test even detect whether something has been stomped on with feet?"

Authorities investigating

According to China Times, food safety authorities have opened an investigation and will send inspectors to the restaurant.

If the restaurant is found to have violated the Good Hygiene Practice guidelines, it will be ordered to rectify the issues within a set period.

Failure to comply could result in fines ranging from NT$60,000 to NT$200 million (S$2,414 to S$8,046) under Taiwan's Food Safety and Sanitation Management Act.

A woman in China has helped her husband break out of a vegetative state in an unorthodox fashion: By biting his toes to stimulate his nerves.

The reversal in physical and mental function culminated into the husband, Zhao Jinqian, regaining consciousness and whispering to his wife, Song Mei, saying, "I love you."

Zhao had been left with severe brain damage after surviving a 6m fall while rescuing a toddler in Henan province, South China Morning Post reported.

Rescued a trapped toddler

Zhao had climbed onto a warehouse roof to save a trapped three-year-old child in October 2019.

During the rescue, the waterproofing construction worker fell 6m to the ground, holding the child in his arms, and using his body to shield the child as they plunged to the ground.

While the child escaped unharmed, Zhao took the full impact of the blow, landing head-first.

He sustained severe brain injuries, multiple fractures, and lung damage, Elephant News reported.

Doctors said his survival was a miracle, but noted that his chances of ever regaining consciousness were "vanishingly small".

Financial and physical toll

The medical expenses exhausted most of his family's savings.

They had lived modestly with their two children before the incident.

Song, 45, resigned from her job as a kindergarten art teacher to become Zhao's full-time caregiver, keeping the family afloat by selling her paintings online.

She took to a daily routine of cleaning and massaging him, talking to him, and reportedly slept for fewer than four hours a night for several years.

The father of the rescued child also contributed financially to Zhao's care, despite having limited means himself.

Gradual recovery

To aid his nerve recovery, doctors advised Song to stimulate her husband's fingers and toes.

Song accidentally bit Zhao’s toe one day and noticed a faint physical reflex.

From then on, she began covering his foot with a plastic food bag and biting his toes daily for several years, a practice she credits with eventually bringing him back to consciousness.

After seven years of perseverance, on Jun. 30, while in his hospital bed, Zhao turned to his wife and whispered, “Song Mei, I love you.”

Medical staff also noted that during his cognitive and writing therapy sessions, his wife's name remains the only word he can successfully write.

Reflecting on the recovery, Song wrote on social media:

“Everyone says the road ahead is difficult, but husband and wife are meant to weather hardship together. I do not know the best cure, but I am willing to keep going through all the long years.”

Recent cohorts of married couples in Singapore have greater stability, but there has been 6.2 per cent fewer marriages in 2025 compared to 2024, a family trends survey by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) found.

More stable marriages

According to a Jul. 10 media release by MSF, the cumulative proportion of marriages that ended in divorce before the 10th anniversary dipped from 17 per cent in the 2005 marriage cohort to 13.5 per cent for the 2014 cohort.

The 10th year anniversaries were used as a benchmark as data have shown marriages are most vulnerable between the five and 10-year marks.

According to the survey, a vast majority of Singaporeans reported strong and fulfilling relationships.

Some 94.9 per cent of married Singaporeans reported being happy with their marriage.

About 92.8 per cent felt that their relationship was going well and 78.3 per cent said they frequently confide in their spouse.

Some 88.3 per cent of respondents said they rarely or never considered ending their marriage.

Family resilience

There was also a correlation between higher marital quality and higher family resilience, the study showed.

On the resilience scale, 90.7 per cent of families reported moderate to high family resilience scores, an increase from 85.9 per cent in 2023.

Some 89.6 per cent of respondents also reported having a close-knit family, up from 86 per cent in 2023.

Furthermore, 69 per cent of Singaporeans said they maintained close ties with their extended family in 2025, up from 67.5 per cent in 2023.

Respondents who reported having close-knit families also reported higher family resilience, the survey found.

Some 95.2 per cent of respondents between 15 and 64 years of age agreed it was their responsibility to care for their parents, an increase from 93.1 per cent in 2023.

Those who were willing to support family members, either financially, emotionally or physically, tended to report higher family resilience.

About 92.2 per cent of caregivers said they were able to manage their caregiving responsibilities.

Caregiving by fathers

It was also found that more fathers are involved in caring for their children.

There was a notable increase in take-up rates of government-paid paternity leave, from 47 per cent for children born in 2016 to 61 per cent for children born in 2024.

About 54 per cent of fathers also took childcare leave in 2024, up from 49 per cent in 2016.

Uptake of government-paid maternity leave, meanwhile, remained consistently high between 74 and 79 per cent.

Since Apr. 1, shared parental leave provisions have been increased from six weeks to 10 weeks.

Early childhood

MSF said it continues to expand the capacity of and make preschools more affordable for families with young children.

Through subsidies and fee caps introduced in 2025, the industry median infant care fee for Singaporean children decreased from S$1,275 in 2021 to S$1,235 in 2025.

Childcare fee also decreased from S$760 in 2021 to S$680 in 2025.

The number of full-day infant care centres has also nearly tripled over the past 10 years, while the number of full-day childcare places has nearly doubled.

As such, the cohort enrolment rate of children aged three to four years has risen from 73 per cent in 2015 to 91 per cent in 2025.

Enrolment of children aged five to six years old has also increased from 86 per cent in 2015 to 93 per cent in 2025.

Support for families

The results from the annual survey highlight the importance of support for families, said MSF.

Speaking during the 2026 National Family Festival Appreciation Event on Jul. 10, Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli said the ministry would be signing several memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with key corporate partners, including Mandai Wildlife Group and NTUC Women and Family.

The partnerships and collaborations will contribute towards promoting family-friendly campaigns and drive family-focused programmes.

A Singapore policeman allegedly committed voyeurism against nine men, including his colleagues, and also purportedly molested two of them.

According to The Straits Times (ST), the 24-year-old man was handed 13 charges comprising two counts of molestation and 11 counts of voyeurism on Jul. 9.

He cannot be named to protect the identities of his alleged victims.

He is accused of committing all the offences between 2023 and 2025 at a neighbourhood police centre (NPC) and two Home Team facilities, among other locations.

SPF says action has been taken

Six of the victims were allegedly targeted at the NPC and Home Team facilities.

In a statement to Mothership on Jul. 9, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said swift action had been taken against the accused.

A police spokesperson said: "Officers of the SPF are expected to uphold the law and maintain the highest standards of conduct and discipline."

"We deal sternly with officers who break the law, including charging them in court."

The spokesperson added: "We are unable to comment further as court proceedings are ongoing".

Allegedly molested victim at carpark

On Dec. 15, 2023, the accused allegedly used his phone to film a man in his underwear at a Home Team facility, reported ST.

On Jan. 28 and Feb. 26, 2024, he allegedly committed similar offences against his second and third victims at the same facility.

On Feb 27, 2024,  at a Home Team facility, the accused allegedly used his mobile phone on two occasions to record videos of a fourth man’s private parts.

He is also accused of molesting the third victim at a Tengah Garden Avenue multi-storey carpark in November 2024.

On Feb. 6, 2025, he allegedly filmed a fifth victim who was in his underwear at an NPC.

He allegedly committed a similar offence against the fifth victim in June 2025.

Accused of filming man showering nude

In July 2025, at Woodlands Swimming Complex, the accused allegedly recorded a sixth man showering in the nude.

On Oct. 9, 2025, he allegedly used his phone to film an obscene video of a seventh victim at a gym toilet.

On Oct. 15, 2025, while in the locker room of an onsen, a Japanese-style bath house, he purportedly used his phone to record a video of the eighth victim who was naked.

On Oct. 21, 2025, he was at a second Home Team facility when he allegedly recorded a video of a ninth man in a toilet cubicle.

He is also accused of touching the ninth victim's chest twice that day.

Penalties

His case will be mentioned again on Aug. 6.

If convicted, an offender can face up to two years' jail, a fine, caning, or receive any combination of such punishments for each count of voyeurism.

If found guilty, an offender can face up to three years' jail, a fine, caning, or receive any combination of such punishments for each count of molestation.

The former OG Orchard Point building, which was briefly Taste Orchard by Hao Mart, will be transformed into a retail and co-working space after JustCo announced its takeover as the master tenant of the building.

F&B, lifestyle and co-living apartments

In a Jul. 9 press release, global co-working brand JustCo announced its tenancy of Orchard Point, describing it as part of its "expansion strategy".

The building will be renamed "JustCo Place".

Opening in September 2026, the third and fourth levels of the building will become a JustCo-branded co-working centre.

The remaining space, from the basement to the second level, will be a "curated mix of food & beverage, lifestyle, wellness and healthcare for connection of tenants".

Co-living and retail experiences expected to begin in January 2027.

The fifth floor will serve as a rooftop terrace for the co-working space.

Accounting firm Deloitte Singapore will be the anchor customer of the space, JustCo added.

Additionally, JustCo will take over management of the serviced apartment tower above the building.

The existing serviced apartments will be transformed into "123 premium coliving apartments".

These will range from studio units to three-bedroom apartments, accommodating up to 475 guests.

Discussion with prospective tenants ongoing

According to The Business Times, JustCo is currently in negotiations with prospective tenants for 87,000 square feet of retail space across the basement to second level of the building.

BT also wrote that JustCo had been in discussions with OG since the previous master tenant, Hao Mart, vacated last year.

OG had invested tens of millions to retrofit the building, BT reported, citing JustCo CEO Kong Wan Sing.

JustCo itself has also invested millions to refurbish the building's retail and co-working spaces.

Department store to food mall

OG bought Orchard Point in 2001 and operated its department store there from 2004 to 2022.

Hao Mart took over as master tenant on a 7.5-year lease agreement in 2024, operating the building as Taste Orchard with a food-focused mall concept.

It closed less than two years later in December 2025, after OG terminated the lease.

Local actress Ya Hui has opened up about how she used to feel embarrassed by her parents' age when she was younger, admitting that she would even ask her mother to wait outside her school instead of going in to pick her up.

Felt "paiseh"

In an Instagram post on Jul. 7, the 39-year-old shared that she had celebrated Parents' Day with her parents last month.

In her caption, Ya Hui recalled that her classmates would often mistake her mother for her grandmother whenever she went to pick her up from school.

"When I was younger, my friends would tease me every time my mum came to pick me up from school, saying, 'Your grandma is here!'," she wrote.

Looking back, the actress admitted that she was young and naive then, and often felt "paiseh" because her parents were older than those of her classmates.

She said she even asked her mother to wait outside the school instead of going in to fetch her.

Today, people still occasionally mistake her mother for her grandmother.

But unlike before, Ya Hui said she now corrects them proudly:

"I'll say it loudly: 'That's my mum!'"

She added that she would sometimes joke: "She's so pretty, you can't tell we're mother and daughter?"

Ya Hui also thanked her parents for giving her "the best genes".

"I definitely hit the genetic jackpot," she quipped.

The actress also shared that she discovered something new about her mum during their celebration.

"Turns out my mum is such a drinker! I only just found out!" she said. "I told her not to drink, but she kept going, one glass after another!"

"It's our turn to love them"

In her post, Ya Hui shared a series of photos and videos from the family meal, and ended her caption with a heartfelt reminder for everyone to cherish time with their parents.

"Bring your parents out more often and make memories whenever you can. As they grow older, they slowly become like kids again. It’s our turn to love them, care for them and be there for them just like they did for us ❤️"

Several of Ya Hui's celebrity friends also chimed in in the comments section, praising the family's good looks.