A Singaporean cosplayer was allegedly filmed from underneath her skirt at an anime, comics and gaming (ACG) convention in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on May 30.

The incident came to public attention after the cosplayer, who goes by the name Rimi, shared her experience on Instagram.

What happened

In the video she posted, a man dressed in black can be seen approaching her booth while she was attending to a customer.

The man was wearing a face mask and carrying a mobile phone attached to an extended selfie stick.

Speaking to Mothership, Rimi said she believed the man was an event attendee, as he appeared to be wearing an attendee wristband.

According to the footage, the man lingered around the booth for a short period while Rimi was rearranging items and appeared unaware of his presence.

The man then allegedly moved closer and positioned his phone underneath her skirt for about two minutes.

A staff member from a nearby booth later approached Rimi and alerted her to look behind her.

When she turned around, the man reportedly asked to take a photograph with her.

However, Rimi said she became suspicious after noticing that the man's selfie stick was extended.

The man subsequently asked for her Instagram account but did not follow her, she added.

After he left, staff from the opposite booth showed Rimi a photograph they had taken of the alleged incident.

Rimi said the footage she later shared online was recorded by a camera at her own booth, which she had initially set up to capture content for social media highlights.

She added that she did not notice many security personnel or event staff patrolling the venue during the incident, though she saw staff members passing by occasionally.

After she posted the incident on her Instagram, Rimi said another cosplayer told her that she had encountered the same individual on the morning of the incident, and that he had stood behind her for a prolonged period while she was setting up her booth without saying anything.

Reported the incident to the event organisers

According to Rimi, the staff from the nearby booth subsequently reported the matter to the event organisers.

"We've already informed the Nijigen committee about this matter, and they are working with security to identify this individual and prevent him from entering the venue should he attempt to attend the event over the next two days," she wrote in an Instagram Story update.

Rimi said the organisers had also informed the opposite booth's staff that security measures would be enhanced for the remainder of the event.

She added that she did notice increased security presence over the next two days, with personnel regularly patrolling the convention hall.

Rimi also shared a screenshot of an Instagram Story posted by the event organisers, showing four security personnel alongside the caption: "We hear you and security enhanced!"

Rimi also thanked members of the community who had reached out to express concern, as well as event staff who had followed up on the matter.

She added that she had been wearing safety shorts underneath her costume at the time of the incident.

She encouraged members of the community to share information about the case to raise awareness and urged convention-goers to remain vigilant and look out for one another to help ensure a safe environment for all attendees.

When asked if she had filed a police report, Rimi said she has yet to do so as she did not have time to do so while in Malaysia.

However, she intends to return to Johor Bahru to file a report.

"My vote is not secret, I'm going to support Pritam", said Yee Jenn Jong, addressing the crowd who gathered to watch him launch his new book, "Step Up: The Workers’ Party of Singapore 2.0 — The Road to GE2025 and Beyond".

The book, co-authored by Loke Hoe Yeong, a political historian, examines the evolution of the Workers’ Party (WP) of Singapore and its road to GE2025 and beyond.

Yee, who was the WP's candidate in East Coast GRC in GE2025, was a former Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) after GE2011.

The launch event was held at the Book Bar on Duxton Road on the evening of Jun. 3 and featured an interview with the authors by academic Walid Jumblatt Abdullah, associate professor at NTU, followed by a question-and-answer segment.

It was also livestreamed on Walid's Instagram under his Teh Tarik with Walid series.

'My vote is not secret'

In the Q&A, Walid addressed the elephant in the room, WP secretary-general Pritam Singh's future, and asked Yee point-blank, "So will Pritam stay on as the leader?"

This question came after the news broke that WP is set to hold a special cadres conference on Jun. 28.

Singh, the party’s secretary-general, will face a secret vote on his position if he does not offer to step down from his position.

Yee said, "Although it's a secret vote, my vote is not secret. I'm going to support Pritam because I feel that number one, he is not disqualified by law."

"Let's face it this way, every leader from the opposition side as long as you make some significant breakthrough and you're of a significant threat, you will face that sort of big challenge."

Pritam Singh should stay for 'orderly transition'

Singh faced two charges in a district court and was fined S$7,000 fine for each charge, lying to a parliamentary committee and contempt of Parliament, respectively.

This was the maximum fine imposed for each charge.

In a Feb. 17, 2025, statement, the Elections Department confirmed that to be disqualified, an MP must be convicted of a single sentence upwards of a year's jail, or a S$10,000 fine.

As multiple sentences cannot be added together, Singh's fine did not meet the threshold for MP disqualification.

Yee also expressed his wish for Singh to stay so that an "orderly transition" could take place.

In the book, Loke noted: "The issue of Pritam Singh being found guilty by the district court of lying under oath had no discernible effect in denting the WP’s vote share in the constituencies it held".

'Too early'

When asked what the fifth generation of WP leadership looks like and if Yee has anyone in mind to be that leader, Yee said, "I think it is really too early because anybody who wants to be a leader must prove their stripes".

He cited Singh's age and experience, saying, "You only have how many in that age range? Probably only two in parliament."

Yee added, "There are others waiting in the wings," and said if there was a "10-year transition", he was sure someone would emerge.

In response to Mothership's question on the lack of a direct challenger to contest the position of Secretary General, Yee said he felt that the question should be posed at the People's Action Party (PAP).

"Has there ever been a challenge, you know, a direct challenge in their current meeting for the Sec-Gen position? Never before, I believe."

Yee added that if "there's a challenge from within the rules, it's definitely not strange".

"If anybody wants to challenge Pritam, then let it be; there's nothing in the books that says it cannot be challenged."

Book's contents

The book has 21 chapters and is split into four sections: a brief history of the WP, the 2025 General Election, a peek into the WP of Singapore, and concluding words.

It is a successor to Yee's previous effort, "Journey in Blue: A Peek into the Workers' Party of Singapore" and provides a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings of the WP.

It provides historical and analytical insights as well as Yee's personal experiences at the frontlines of electoral politics as an opposition candidate and parliamentarian.

This includes analysis of WP's wins and setbacks, such as former Sengkang group representation constituency (GRC) Member of Parliament (MP) Raeesah Khan's admission to lying, and WP MP Leon Perera and former WP East Coast GRC candidate Nicole Seah's past affair.

In his book, Yee said he wanted to capture his 15-year journey with the WP.

Yee was active in electoral politics since 2011, running in four elections, and retired after the 2025 general election.

According to the book, he remains with the WP and remains ready to quietly contribute if needed.

Where to purchase?

The book is available at bookstores including Kinokuniya, Popular, and Book Bar.

Mothership readers can enter the code WSAOC20 for 20 per cent off when purchasing the book directly through World Scientific Connect.

For more details on the book, check out the publisher, World Scientific Connect's website here.

It was right after school when Etzel saw the tree fall.

He was with a few of his table tennis friends. As they exited the school grounds, they saw the tree tilting to a dangerous degree.

"Look at that tree!" he remembers telling his friends. A few people screamed — and the tree swayed once more before falling to the ground with a thud.

Fortunately, it didn't hit anyone. But it did sprawl across two lanes of traffic, blocking roads, a cycling path, and the walkway.

The students could've walked away and left it to the adults.

But they didn't. Photos of Zhonghua Secondary School students working together with passers-by to clear the tree captured the public imagination, even winning the praise of Member of Parliament Seah Kian Peng.

Team spirit

The youths who were at the scene were a mix of Secondary 1 and Secondary 2 students.

They didn't really know each other, coming from different classes and different CCAs.

"We just play during recess at the basketball court," Etzel said.

But when one of the boys, Cedric, suggested that they go help out together, they obliged.

One older man, who'd been at the nearby coffeeshop prior to the incident, began to direct the group.

"He went like, 'one, two, pull!' Then we just all carried [the tree]."

"It was quite heavy... I didn't expect it to be [so] heavy," one boy, Isaac, said.

How heavy, we asked.

"Like, five times heavier than my schoolbag," Isaac guessed.

"Ten times heavier than the paperwork my teacher has to carry," another boy, Aiden, said. (Speaking from experience, he assures us.)

More help

The boys had been working on one side of the road. But when Arissa and her friend exited the school, they noticed that the other side was still blocked.

"So me and my friend, we went to help... We helped to remove the branches first, so it's easier to move the tree," she said.

Another older man eventually arrived with a saw, which he used to cut the tree trunk into pieces.

In the meantime, the students continued to trim the branches off and move them to the side.

The tree bark and leaves left them with minor scratches and cuts on their hands.

But they were undeterred.

"I thought to myself, even if I get injured, it's OK. I'll rather help many people," Aiden said.

Police arrived

Etzel remembers calling the police before he went to go help.

Not long after they began their work, a man — not a resident this time — turned up with an electric saw.

"It was small, and turns very fast, and they used it to cut the tree," Arissa recalls.

A teacher eventually found them hard at work and told them that they'd done enough and to go home.

That was the end of it, or so they thought.

But unbeknownst to them, they'd wake up the next day to see their act of teamwork in the news.

Isaac remembers that his grandma called him after reading about it in the news and started praising him.

Etzel didn't tell his parents after the incident happened, only spilling the beans after his mother saw it on Facebook and noticed the familiar school uniform.

"I told her I helped also, then she was very proud of me cos it was the first time she saw one of her family members on the news."

As for Aiden, one thing stands out about his parents' reactions:

"It was the first time I heard them say 'I'm proud of you'."

Sense of fulfilment

It's been a while. When we visited the school on May 25 to speak to the students, the fallen tree — as well as a few others which had also been tilting towards the road — was gone.

The scratches and cuts on their hands have healed. There are more important things to think about now: June holidays, exams, even O-Levels.

But it's a nice memory for them, still.

One student, Darwin, still has not told his parents about his involvement in the incident. He's unsure how his mother — who he says is a little protective — will react.

But he doesn't regret it.

"It was actually quite fun, doing this with all my friends... There was a sense of fulfilment because I did something to help others."

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@mothershipsg The tree fell, but not their community spirit 🔥 #mothershiporiginals ♬ original sound - Mothership

Native saplings planted one year ago as part of a restoration initiative at Lower Peirce Reservoir were found to have been cleared by a contractor, upsetting volunteers from the Raffles' Banded Langurs working group who partook in the planting effort.

The clearing of the trees was first surfaced in a post on the group's Facebook page on Jun. 2.

The National Parks Board (NParks) has since said that the clearing was unauthorised and that it is looking into the matter.

Native saplings planted in January 2025

In the Jun. 2 post, the Raffles' Banded Langurs working group shared that it had been alerted about the clearing of the saplings at the site located within the Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

A total of 87 saplings were planted at the site by the group's volunteers in January 2025.

The group was started in 2016 to conserve the critically endangered Raffles' banded langur.

Speaking to Mothership, the working group's chair, Andie Ang, shared that the group organised a tree-planting event last year to celebrate its ninth anniversary, and had reached out to NParks to contribute to its OneMillionTrees movement.

The OneMillionTrees movement is a restoration movement by NParks to plant one million trees around Singapore by 2030.

NParks subsequently provided the recommendation and resources for the tree-planting event.

A total of five native species were planted, with two of them being langur food plants, Ang shared.

Clearing discovered on Jun. 2

On the afternoon of Jun. 2, one of the working group's volunteers who was at the park discovered that the site on which the saplings were planted had been cleared and flattened, with construction material placed on the site.

NParks was informed, and the material was removed within two hours, according to Ang.

In response to Mothership's queries, NParks' Group Director of Conservation, Lim Liang Jim said that an NParks staff discovered the clearing of the saplings earlier that morning and immediately instructed the contractor to stop its work and remove the items.

The site is currently cordoned off with a red-and-white tape, Ang shared.

Ang shared that finding out what happened to the saplings "was quite a shock... for various reasons".

She noted that the site was inside a protected area and that it was also a "dedicated restoration site".

"The questions we have now to be answered [are] who authorised that? Is there proper protocol in place, and how do you prevent this from happening again?" Ang asked.

On Facebook, the working group's post has been reshared in nature community groups, with some commenters pointing out that the clearing of the saplings was a shame.

NParks had told site supervisor area was not suitable for use

NParks' Group Director of Conservation, Lim Liang Jim, said that NParks is aware of an unauthorised clearance of a site within Lower Peirce Reservoir on May 29, 2026.

Lim shared that NParks had earlier communicated to the contractor's site supervisor on a few occasions that the area was not suitable for their storage space and had advised them to use an alternative location.

"However, the contractor went against NParks’ direction and proceeded to clear the area on May 29, 2026, without informing NParks," Lim said.

On the morning of Jun. 2, an NParks staff carrying out routine inspections in the area discovered that around 40 saplings and shrubs within half of the original tree-planting site had been cleared by a contractor for temporary storage of materials without approval, Lim shared.

"NParks immediately instructed the contractor to stop its work and remove the storage items. NParks intends to replant the site," Lim said.

Mothership understands that the contractor was engaged by NParks.

NParks investigating, will not hesitate to take action

Lim said that NParks will investigate the incident and "will not hesitate" to take action against the errant parties.

Under the Parks and Trees Act, it is an offence to cut, collect or displace any tree or plant or any part thereof within any national park or nature reserve without the Commissioner of Parks and Recreation’s permission.

Offenders shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding S$50,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, or both.

A 20-year-old Singaporean man pleaded guilty to communicating false information in reference to a thing likely to cause hurt after posting a photo on Instagram indicating he was “about to bomb” a plane.

In court documents seen by Mothership, the incident occurred on Jun. 7, 2025, at about 11:55pm at a gate hold room at Changi Airport Terminal 1.

“Im about to bomb this plane”

The man, identified as Rykes Tan Zhi Kai, was due to board Scoot flight TR876 departing from Singapore to Taipei, Taiwan.

Investigations revealed that Tan was travelling with three other companions.

Before boarding, Tan took a photograph of himself with a Scoot-operated Boeing 787 Dreamliner attached to an aerobridge visible in the background while at the gate hold room.

At 11:55pm, Tan uploaded the photograph onto his private Instagram account in an Instagram Story, with the caption “Im about to bomb this plane”, accompanied by a bomb emoji.

He had 71 followers at the time of the offence.

Tan later claimed it was meant to be a joke.

Automated message

When a friend contacted him on Instagram about the photo, Tan responded with a message that read, “This is an automated message. Tan Zhi Kai, Rykes have successfully bombed the plane and is unable to contact you from now onwards.”

Tan admitted that the message was also intended as a joke, insinuating that he was unable to contact his friend as he had purportedly died.

Police informed

On Jun. 8, 2025, at about 1am, the police received information regarding the photograph from an anonymous informant.

Based on the information received, all Boeing Dreamliner aircraft operated by Scoot scheduled to depart Singapore between 12:10am and 1:50am that day were identified for screening.

Three flights operated by Scoot, TR138 departing from Singapore to Tianjin, with an original departing time of 1:30am, TR186 departing from Singapore to Qingdao, with an original departing time of 1:45am and TR720 departing from Singapore to Athens, with an original departing time of 1:50am, were subjected to enhanced security screening.

The flight Tan boarded departed Singapore at about 1am.

The departure times of the three flights subjected to enhanced security screening were delayed to about 3am.

Tan was subsequently arrested on Jun. 11, 2025, upon his return from Taipei to Singapore.

He was released on bail on the same day.

Scoot incurred a total operational loss of S$1,945.74 across the three flights because of this incident.

Tan has since made full restitution to Scoot.

Critical public infrastructure

The deputy public prosecutor (DPP) urged for a probation suitability report and a reformative training suitability report.

The DPP cited Changi Airport as critical public infrastructure utilised by vast numbers of local and foreign commuters daily and it being integral to Singapore’s standing as a leading aviation hub.

Actions that impinged upon the safety and security of its operations, and that of the aircraft

operating from it, should be met with strong disapprobation by the courts.

Tan pleaded guilty on Jun. 4, CNA reported.

Tan’s lawyers sought to convince the judge not to call for a reformative training suitability report.

The judge indicated he would call for both reports.

Tan will return to court for sentencing and mitigation at a later date.

For his offence, Tan may face a jail term of up to seven years, a fine of up to S$50,000, or both.

U.S. president Donald Trump has confirmed that he called Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu "crazy" and cursed at him in an expletive-laden phone call.

This was despite Israeli media denying the claims originally reported by the American news site Axios.

Axios quoted an unidentified U.S. official, who claimed that Trump told Netanyahu, "Are you f**king crazy? You'd be in prison if it weren't for me. I'm saving your a**. Everybody hates you now. Everybody hates Israel because of this."

According to Reuters, the phone exchange was over Israel's conflict with Lebanon as the U.S. was negotiating to end hostilities with Iran.

'I did'

In a Pod Force One podcast interview on Jun. 3, the New York Post's Miranda Devine asked Trump if he made those comments to Netanyahu and if he spoke in those terms.

Trump confirmed the comments and said, "I wouldn't say angry. I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with ​Lebanon, you know."

Trump continued and said he and Netanyahu have a good relationship.

Trump added: "At some point, I said, ​Bibi, we got to stop this. We got to stop it."

Israeli media denials

On Jun. 2, Israeli media stated that Netanyahu's office did not respond to the report and that unnamed staffers denied core aspects of Axios' report, including the claim that Trump had cursed at Netanyahu.

Later, a senior Israeli official briefed on the call told Israeli media that the staff member's account was accurate.

Netanyahu declined to comment on conversation details

In an interview with CNBC on Jun. 3, Netanyahu declined to comment on his conversation with Trump when asked about the Axios report.

However, Netanyahu said his relationship with Trump did not change: "We have common goals. Sometimes we have, as in the best of families, you have these tactical disagreements."

"He's been the greatest friend that Israel has ever had in the White House, and he respects me; I respect him. We always find a ​way to work out our differences," Netanyahu added.

According to Reuters, Iran has previously said it would not agree to a ceasefire deal with the U.S. to end the war that Trump and Netanyahu started in late February 2026 unless it also covers Lebanon.

Israel invaded Lebanon in March, following the Hezbollah militia's cross-border strikes in support of Iran.

Despite a U.S.-mediated agreement on Jun. 1, where Israel agreed to step back from attacking Beirut's Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs and Hezbollah's agreement to stop strikes, hostilities have continued.

Reuters reported that at least six people in southern Lebanon were killed in Israeli drone strikes, and a car was targeted on Jun. 3.

Israel also said it intercepted a hostile aircraft likely fired by Hezbollah.

Trump says 'I'm the one that started it'

In the Pod Force One interview, Devine asked Trump what he would say to people who claimed Netanyahu tricked him into going to war with Iran.

Trump responded, saying that his critics were "the enemy" and that he was the one who started the war.

Trump said, "I started because we can't let them have a nuclear weapon. Now that pertains to Israel, because they probably would have been the first one to get hit."

"There would be no Israel. Tell you what, if there wasn't ​me, there would be no Israel right now," Trump added.

Trump said Israel would be in a worse-off position if he had not abandoned a 2015 accord made by former U.S. president Barack Obama, where Tehran agreed to cut back its nuclear programme in return for lifting sanctions.

In 2018, during his first term, Trump withdrew from the deal, and Iran started producing stockpiles of highly enriched uranium, which was near-weapons-grade, according to Reuters.

Trump has demanded that Iran relinquish its stockpiles, and Trump's critics say it will be hard for him to negotiate a better deal.

Ahead of the sale of tickets to BTS World Tour "Arirang" concert on Jun. 3 at 12pm, the Singapore police reminded the public to remain vigilant against concert ticket scams.

Such concert ticket scams would see victims come across offers for concert tickets on messaging or social media platforms, such as Telegram, Carousell, Twitter/X, Xiaohongshu, and Facebook.

Modus operandi

Scammers would provide screenshots or videos of fake tickets or receipts to convince victims that the tickets are authentic and to rush them into paying as the offer was limited and even time-sensitive.

They would promise to deliver the tickets to the victims after pressuring them to pay quickly.

When victims reported not receiving their concert tickets, the scammers would claim they had not received the victim’s initial payment and request additional payment.

Victims would realise they had been scammed when the tickets were not delivered or when the seller became uncontactable.

Online marketplaces

In line with Meta’s commerce policies, Facebook Marketplace does not allow content that promotes the buying, selling, or trading of event tickets.

TikTok Shop’s policies do not support the sales of concert tickets.

The police have also reached out to Carousell to remove resale ticket listings for the upcoming BTS concert, given previous instances of scams involving popular concerts.

Reminder

The police reminded the public to purchase concert tickets only from authorised platforms, such as Ticketmaster.

Ticketmaster’s terms and conditions for the sale of concert tickets forbid tickets from being transferred or resold.

Those found to have used resale tickets will be turned away from the concert without a refund.

The public should be wary of resellers who claim they can transfer tickets to the buyer’s Ticketmaster account after purchase, as tickets are strictly non-transferable.

Ticketmaster will also never issue the tickets via email.

Police also advised the public to download the ScamShield App and set security features, such as enabling two-factor (2FA) or multifactor authentication for bank accounts, and setting transaction limits on internet banking transactions.

The public is also advised to purchase concert tickets only from authorised concert ticket sellers.

They can call the 24/7 ScamShield Helpline at 1799, if they are unsure whether something is a scam.

The legitimacy of suspicious phone numbers, messages and website links can be checked through the ScamShield App.

The public is also advised to tell authorities, family, and friends about scams.

They may also report any fraudulent advertisements to the social media and e-commerce platforms.

For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg.

Employees who lose their job positions in Singapore are considered to have been retrenched, even if they have been asked to reapply for roles overseas in the same organisation.

This is according to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).

NTUC also said it was concerned about practices where employers present reapplications as "new opportunities".

This comes after apparel retailer H&M announced in May that it would move its regional headquarters from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

It asked its East Asia staff, including those in Singapore, to reapply for roles as part of a restructuring exercise.

NTUC expresses concerns about such practices

Responding to Mothership's queries, NTUC said it was concerned about practices where workers are asked to reapply for roles locally or for roles that have moved overseas, with these being presented as new opportunities.

NTUC also said that if these practices result in a worker's role in Singapore becoming redundant, such arrangements are recognised and treated as retrenchment.

"When a worker's employment is with a local company, and if that position or employment is lost due to redundancy, the worker's relationship with the local entity ends," NTUC elaborated.

In response to Mothership's queries, MOM said, "Should an employee lose his job as the role has been made redundant in Singapore — for example, where the role no longer exists or has been shifted overseas — this would constitute a retrenchment."

MOM also said that this applies regardless of whether the employee has applied for an overseas role and the outcome of the application.

H&M says it is "committed" to supporting affected colleagues

When asked by CNA for its response to NTUC's expression of concern, an H&M representative reiterated that the company is "fully committed to supporting all of our colleagues in any organisational changes and will continue to fulfil [its] obligations according to local labour law requirements".

It was previously reported by CNA that H&M employees who unsuccessfully reapply for the new roles will face "mutual separation" in accordance with local labour laws.

Employees across the affected region, including Singapore, may reapply for 178 roles.

Four of these roles appear to be based in Singapore and serve legal functions.

MOM shared that H&M had submitted a mandatory retrenchment notification within the required timeline.

When a retrenchment occurs, employers with at least 10 employees are required to submit a mandatory retrenchment notification to MOM within five working days after notifying affected employees of their retrenchment.

On a layover, a Scoot flight to Singapore, an Indonesian national molested the female passenger beside him while she was asleep.

He was 20, while she was 17 at the time of the incident on Apr. 15.

He touched her inappropriately on her thigh, back, abdomen, hip, butt, and breasts, with skin-to-skin contact.

Despite her attempt to move her body away from the man, he continued to touch her, causing her to feel scared and violated, according to court documents.

On Jun. 3, Ariel Lhudfiyan Muarifin pleaded guilty in court to one charge of using criminal force with the intent to outrage a person's modesty.

He was sentenced to jail for one year and three months, and three strokes of the cane.

A sudden urge

Ariel, a resident of Central Java, was working as a construction worker in Okinawa, Japan, at the time.

He took a Scoot flight from Okinawa to Singapore around 9:15am on Apr. 15, planning to return to Indonesia through Singapore.

On the plane, the victim sat in a seat labelled A, which typically indicates a window seat on Scoot flights. Ariel sat in the next seat labelled B.

They both fell asleep as soon as they reached their respective seats, but Ariel woke up shortly after and noticed that the victim's left forearm and left leg made contact with his body, he claimed.

He described the victim as "quite pretty", and said their body contact caused him to have the sudden urge and desire to touch her.

Not deterred

Ariel first stroked the victim's thigh with his hand, then moved to her abdomen, hip, and breast.

This lasted for about 30 seconds, the victim said.

She tried to slide her body away from him, but he was not deterred.

He continued to touch her inappropriately, including sliding his hand down her pants and underwear to stroke her butt.

When the victim turned to look Ariel, he had his eyes closed. As she was wary of him, she also closed her eyes and pretended to sleep.

The touching went on for about another five minutes and only stopped after she opened her eyes. His eyes were closed again when she looked at him.

According to court documents, the victim, feeling extremely scared, violated, uncomfortable, trapped, and helpless, got up from her seat and told an air stewardess what had happened.

Scoot subsequently made a police report that a passenger was molested onboard, and Ariel was arrested at Changi Airport Terminal 1 about two hours after the plane landed in Singapore.

Sentencing

The prosecutor sought a sentence of between 14 and 16 months in prison, along with three to five strokes of the cane.

Ariel pleading guilty early in the proceedings entitled him to a sentencing discount of up to 30 per cent, which is taken into account in this proposed sentence, the prosecutor said.

The prosecutor argued that the degree of sexual exploitation was high, the circumstances of the offence were aggravated, and the harm caused to the victim was at least moderate.

"The accused did not act on impulse or in a moment of confusion — rather, he weaponised his proximity to the victim on the flight and repeatedly outraged her modesty, persisting even after she expressed discomfort," the prosecutor said.

A 30-year-old man was charged in court on Jun. 4, 2026, for voluntarily causing hurt to a 55-year-old man on a public bus.

Muhammad Asyraf Said allegedly assaulted the older man, Alan Sim, after snatching a cap bearing an Israeli national emblem that he was wearing, the Singapore Police Force said in a press release on Jun. 3.

Asyraf arrived in person at court on Jun 4 at around 9:20am.

He was unrepresented in court.

His next hearing is scheduled for Jun. 18.

The offence of voluntarily causing hurt carries an jail term of up to three years, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.

Allegedly snatched cap bearing Israeli national emblem

Asyraf is accused of voluntarily causing hurt to Sim at the bus stop beside Blk 121D Rivervale Drive by punching and kicking him.

This caused the victim to suffer a contusion on his chest and abrasions over his face and forearm, charge sheets showed.

According to SPF, preliminary investigations revealed that Asyraf had allegedly snatched a cap bearing the Israeli emblem, which Sim was wearing.

Both parties were not known to each other.

55-year-old warned for display of foreign national emblem

The 55-year-old was also given a stern warning, in lieu of prosecution, for displaying a foreign national emblem.

"The police takes a serious view of any act of violence," SPF said.

SPF also advised members of the public against the public display and wearing of articles associated with foreign conflicts.

SPF also reminded members of the public "not to import overseas conflicts into Singapore" and to "express their views in a lawful and responsible manner".

"The police will deal with offenders sternly in accordance with the law," SPF said.