Malaysia civil servants will have to find other ways to navigate the roads after prime minister Anwar Ibrahim issued a ban of the app within the civil service.

In an Oct. 21 post on Facebook, the Prime Minister's Office in Malaysia cited the need to protect government information and user data from the threat of abuse by the Israeli regime.

Waze, via a spokesperson, rejected the allegations in a statement sent to Reuters: "Waze operates under strict privacy policies that protect user data and comply with global legal data protection standards."

Waze was founded in Israel and uses satellite signals and ​crowd-sourced data from drivers to offer real-time traffic information, reported Reuters.

It was acquired by Alphabet-owned Google ​in 2013.

However, Anwar said the company was still subject to Israeli laws.

He also encouraged all Malaysians to stop using the app and switch to local alternatives like Tuju, a navigation app developed by the Malaysian Highway Authority.

App could collect data even when not in use: national security director-general

The Malay Mail reported that Malaysia's government will stop short of introducing a blanket ban on the app.

"We always need to strike a balance between security and human rights consideration and freedom of expression, freedom to choose,” said National Security Council director-general for National Security Nushirwan Zainal Abidin.

Civil servants will not be able to use the app while on official duties, and have been encouraged to uninstall it from their personal devices.

"The application could continue collecting data even when users were not actively using it, depending on its permissions and device settings," warned Nushirwan.

A kind-hearted Institute of Technical Education (ITE) student has won praise from her school and the internet for helping an elderly man find his way back home.

According to a Facebook post by ITE, Naira Maisara Binte Abdullah was about to cycle home when she heard the man asking for help at a bicycle parking area near JEM.

It was around 8pm and the 77-year-old was struggling to find his way back home.

He had been in the area to renew his passport and was without a phone to contact his family.

When she realised that the man was unsure of the directions that she had given him, Naira decided to walk him home instead of leaving him on his own.

She checked his NRIC to confirm the man's address and accompanied him for the 30-minute walk.

When they arrived at the man's home, she found out that his family had been searching for him all afternoon.

She stayed until the rest of his family returned, relieved to see him reunited with his loved ones.

Family wrote to ITE

The family later wrote to ITE to commend the student for the care she showed a stranger.

According to ITE, Naira thought about how she would feel if her parents or grandparents were in a similar situation, and that spurred her to help.

"The elderly man told me he was proud of my parents for raising me to be helpful, and he was grateful I was there to help him," she said.

"I felt really appreciated and touched by his words."

Gratitude for her compassion

On Facebook, the post, which at the time of writing has over 5,800 reactions, attracted commenters who applauded Naira's efforts.

"Kudos to this little girl. Her empathy and grit will take her far," wrote one commenter.

"What a beautiful, kind and thoughtful gesture. Proud of you young lady," added another.

A woman who identified herself as the man's niece also chimed in with praise for the student:

"From the bottom of our hearts, thank you so much, Naira. ❤️ Our family was desperately searching for my uncle and was so worried about his safety. We are truly grateful that you were there to help him get home safely. Your kindness and compassion mean more to us than words can express. May you and your family always be blessed with happiness and kindness."

Indonesia's former deputy foreign minister has pushed back against accusations that GIC and Temasek were behind a stock market rout in the Southeast Asian archipelago.

In an Oct. 22 video posted on Instagram, Dino Patti Djalal did not name ex-Indonesian trade minister Muhammad Lutfi specifically, but addressed the latter's allegations that Singapore was conspiring to cripple Indonesia's capital markets.

Lutfi had previously accused the two Singaporean institutions of pressuring MSCI, a global index provider, to downgrade Indonesia’s market status and devalue Indonesian shares, allowing them to purchase assets cheaply.

"Far from the actual reality"

In the video, Dino Patti described Singapore as a country with "goodwill, trust, and a proven track record of cooperation with Indonesia."

He pointed out instances where Singapore came to Indonesia's aid, such as in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami disaster or the Covid-19 pandemic, or through various partnerships regarding investment and education.

Singapore has also made several investments to develop parts of Indonesia, such as the Batam-Bintan-Karimun Free Trade Zone or the Kendal Special Economic Zone in Java.

He noted that Singapore has a vital interest in the economic and political stability of Indonesia.

This is because Singapore is one of the countries most affected by crises in Indonesia, he explained:

"As a small country geographically squeezed between Indonesia and Malaysia, it is taboo and forbidden for Singapore's political elite to conspire to harm Indonesia. Just as it is taboo and forbidden for Indonesia to harm Singapore."

He added that Singapore's working policy towards Indonesia is based on cooperation and mutual trust, not malice and sabotage.

The haze

Regarding recent issues with the haze, Dino Patti said it was a "test case" of how President Prabowo Subianto's administration "can conduct diplomacy with wisdom".

He added that it presented an opportunity for Indonesia to show how it can "continue to be a good neighbour" and that it "can handle the haze crisis in a way that further affirms Indonesia' greatness rather than its smallness".

Dino Patti served as the Indonesian ambassador to the U.S. from 2010 to 2013 before resigning to pursue an unsuccessful presidential bid in 2013.

He then served as deputy foreign affairs minister in 2014 and now heads the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia, an Indonesian think tank focused on international relations.

The second of three planned phases of retrenchments at the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) took place on Oct. 22, the agency confirmed in response to Mothership's queries.

Following a review which primarily concerned roles structured around traditional project delivery, 38 officers were retrenched.

106 officers will remain in their current roles while another 106 are eligible for conversion and apprenticeship pathways to transition into new roles.

Employees from about 20 teams were affected, Mothership understands.

GovTech previously retrenched 93 workers in July 2026.

At the time, the statutory board said the move resulted from efforts to evolve its operations to deliver “faster, more secure, and more responsive digital services” for all Singaporeans.

GovTech intends to let go of seven to nine per cent of its workforce, affecting staff deployed to 23 government agencies.

One-on-one consultations on Oct. 22

Responding to Mothership's queries, GovTech confirmed that one-on-one consultations with affected staff took place today.

"GovTech is implementing the second phase of its workforce transformation, as part of our shift towards taking greater ownership of the digital products and services we build and operate," the agency said.

It said that the roles affected in this phase are primarily those structured around traditional project delivery.

Officers on apprenticeship programmes are at different stages of the conversion, the agency explained.

"We will continue to support them through the assessment and transition process," GovTech said.

GovTech also said:

"We recognise that these changes are difficult for affected colleagues. We will continue to work with PSD, SWDA, and AUSBE to provide support, including career coaching, job matching and placement assistance, and help officers move into suitable opportunities across Public Service and in the private sector."

Union providing support to affected workers

In response to queries from Mothership, Gabriel Ng, General Secretary of Amalgamated Union of Statutory Board Employees (AUSBE), said the union is aware of GovTech's latest phase of layoffs.

It is working closely with the agency to support affected officers, Ng said.

Ng said that the second phase of GovTech's layoffs is expected to be completed by November 2026.

"Since the first phase of retrenchment in July 2026, AUSBE’s priority has been to safeguard the interests of affected officers," Ng said.

"The union has been working with GovTech Singapore to explore alternatives, including opportunities for retraining, apprenticeship and redeployment for the affected officers," Ng added.

Ng shared that AUSBE had successfully negotiated an enhanced support package beyond the provisions of the collective agreement for officers exiting the agency.

"The package was negotiated at the onset of the restructuring exercise and will continue to apply to affected officers across all phases," Ng said.

The National Trades Union Congress' Employment and Employability Institute has also invited affected workers to a virtual tech job opportunities briefing on Nov. 12.

Strategic shift over next two years

Explaining the retrenchments in July, GovTech's chairman Chng Kai Fong said that the agency must move from managing projects delivered by vendors to owning and running products itself.

This requires a different mix of skills, he said, adding that critical systems increasingly demand in-house capabilities so the agency can respond and adjust quickly to national needs.

Changes to effect such a shift will take place during the next two years in three phases.

The first phase covered six Government Digital Transformation (GDT) Forward Deployed Teams and one central GovTech function, Chng said.

The other two phases are expected to cover the rest of GDT’s Forward Deployed Teams.

GovTech also clarified back in July that the move was not driven by artificial intelligence, adding that it was not a cost-cutting or downsizing exercise.

“GovTech is changing shape, not shrinking… It will be a different GovTech, and not every current role maps onto it,” Chng said.

The affected roles are mainly in traditional project and vendor management, which are expected to become less necessary as more products are developed and operated in-house.

GovTech outlined four possible pathways for affected staff: capability development (apprenticeship), alternative public service placement, operational continuity and transition and support package.

The July retrenchment affected 93 staff, with GovTech retaining 102 officers in their roles and retraining 110 for new roles through apprenticeships.

In total, 131 GovTech staff have been let go so far across the two phases.

A 25-year-old female Chinese tourist's stay at a resort in Sabah, Malaysia, took a dangerous turn when she narrowly escaped being sexually assaulted.

HK01 reported that she managed to get away from the alleged perpetrator in the wee hours of Sep. 19 and had to hide overnight in the bushes before being rescued.

The perpetrator was reportedly an 18-year-old security guard at the resort the woman was staying at. He was later arrested by local police.

Man broke in

According to HK01, the woman, Huang (transliterated), stayed at the resort while travelling alone in Malaysia.

The man then allegedly broke into her room while she was asleep, and she reportedly woke up to him grabbing her hand and undressing her.

They wrestled when she fought back; Huang eventually managed to escape by tricking him into the bathroom to take a shower.

In the process of her escaping, however, the guard reportedly dragged the woman by her hair and attempted to force her on the ground.

Escaped, discovered by staff

Huang then fled into some bushes located on a mountain near the resort and hid there, according to China Press.

She was bitten by ants and mosquitoes, and staff did not discover her until morning.

The man, who was worried about the resort's surveillance cameras, did not chase after her.

Images published on HK01 showed Huang suffered multiple wounds from the ordeal.

Investigation

Following the incident, Huang alleged that the resort contacted her but did not offer her any compensation plan, other than a small sum for medical fees and three nights' accommodation at an alternate hotel.

The woman has since retained a lawyer to resolve the matter.

She added that local police were investigating the man and found he was a foreign national, HK01 reported. He is alleged to have entered Malaysia illegally and was staying without valid documents.

The police said they would take action against employers hiring illegal immigrants or individuals without valid work permits.

According to HK01, Huang said on Oct. 15 that the man had been sentenced to two years' jail for trespassing, while the investigation for sexual assault remains ongoing.

Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Downstreaming and Energy Transition Bahlil Lahadalia has threatened to stop energy exports to countries that "disrespect" it.

Speaking at the official launch of a natural gas infrastructure on Oct. 22, Bahlil said he "will conduct an evaluation" into energy export contracts Indonesia currently has with other countries, according to Antara.

He also urged countries that have issues with Indonesia to discuss them amicably and resolve the problem on the principle of mutual respect.

Bahlil, who is also Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, was quoted as saying, "Don’t come begging when you need something, but when there is another issue that can actually be discussed, behave like a relative who has no manners. This is what we do not want."

Conversely, he said that he is willing to draw up contracts with countries that have respectful and mutually beneficial relationships with Indonesia, even if there is currently no existing one.

However, he did not name any specific country.

He emphasised Indonesia's adherence to its national sovereignty, which he described as a long struggle.

Indonesia in 'survival mode'

Earlier on Oct. 21, Bahlil mentioned considering not extending gas exports to neighbouring countries as Indonesia is supposedly in "survival mode".

"So, if other countries have different perspectives for us, they should be careful. I may also consider not extending my gas exports to neighbouring countries," he said in Jakarta, according to Kompas.

"Because we have to survive, we must first meet our domestic needs."

He added that other ministries will also implement measures aligned with this goal, echoing Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's earlier calls for his country to safeguard its natural resources and prioritise national interests.

"Now it is politics based on strength. Those who are strong will survive, and we can see what happens in the Middle East and elsewhere; those who are weak will perish," Prabowo said on Oct. 21.

According to The Straits Times, Indonesia exported natural gases to several countries in 2025.

Japan received about 3.8 million tonnes, followed by China with about 3.79 million tonnes, while Singapore received the third most natural gas with 3.22 million tonnes.

Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong also cited Indonesia as one of Singapore's main sources of natural gas, with existing contracts set to expire by the end of 2028.

Eight-month-old baby Trevor Neo passed away on Sep. 2, 2024, after enduring abuse from his parents for almost the entirety of his life.

His mother, Chloe Gan Ci Xuan, 23, was sentenced to 15 years and 3 months in jail, while his father, Neo Jia Ming, 27, was sentenced to 16 years in jail for causing his death.

The court heard that the couple frequently smothered and shook Trevor to stop him from crying.

They would also abuse him in other ways, such as by slapping, hitting and squeezing him until he turned purple.

In one incident on Jan. 18, 2024, Gan tried feeding Trevor milk, but he did not respond to her when she tapped his chin.

Text messages read out in court showed that the couple treated the act of shaking him like a laughing matter during this incident.

Trevor was later brought KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH), where he was hospitalised from Jan. 18, 2024 to Jan. 23, 2024 for observation.

Joked about shaking baby

This is an excerpt from court documents of some of the messages the couple exchanged:

Neo: Itr u shake the baby like I do like that when he cry

But don't very violent ah

Damage the brain

Later become autistic

Gan: f**k

Neo: My mum go right

Why fk

Gan: i nearly shake the head alm 180 degree

Neo: :) later stupid stupid only ma

Gan: but he's asleep

Neo: Concussion ma

Gan: walao

don't scare me leh

Neo: Confirm concussion bro

I just scared got brain damage only

Nvm la

Gan: ?

Neo: 26 jan can know

Soon

My mum on the way up

I saw her

Gan: oh

she come so early?

ehh bb

what i say sia

Neo: ?

Gan: when she ask why he cough

gg

Neo: ...U better pray he so power can cough

That's coughing for 8 more days

Gan: now I scared it may affect him on and off

if its left untreated

Neo: No choice ma, u dk how u still do

U just gentle shake shake only

Don't too fast

Gan: he never drink any milk till now cuz I shake until he damn shag alr

HAHAHAAH

Neo: ... U just monitor lo

He cry use your own method

Don't do my one

U f**king useless cannot copy one

The moment u do he start coughing like fk alr

Treated abuse like laughing matter

During the court hearing, High Court Justice Hoo Sheau Peng noted that the couple treated the abuse almost like a "laughing matter".

Trevor spent nearly the entirety of his life enduring abuse before losing his life, she said.

While she acknowledged that the couple was overwhelmed by the task of taking care of the baby and was not overly prepared for parenthood, she pointed out that they were well supported.

Family members took care of Trevor on the weekends and a nanny took care of him on weekdays.

Neo’s two uncles living in the same flat also took care of Trevor on one occasion while the couple went out for dinner.

The couple was not left on their own, Hoo said.

Notwithstanding their "youth and inexperience", they must be held accountable for their actions, the judge said.

Related stories

A woman allegedly looked up pornography on her phone less than two minutes before a three-vehicle crash that killed a man in Utah, U.S..

Christine Chao, 44, from California, was charged on Oct. 20 with automobile homicide, a second-degree felony, KSL reported.

The crash occurred on June 12, 2026, on the northbound Interstate 15, where traffic had slowed because of ongoing construction.

According to charge documents cited by KSL, Chao allegedly drove into the back of a slower-moving vehicle, causing it to crash into another vehicle in front.

“Officers did not observe any brake marks on the road to indicate the defendant slowed before the crash,” the documents stated.

Scott LaVar Lichfield, 66, was seated in the back of one of the vehicles. He suffered a head injury and later died, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.

Chao allegedly admitted to officers that she was at fault, the charge documents stated.

Investigators seized her phone and obtained a warrant to examine it.

The examination allegedly showed that she had accessed pornography website "XVideos" less than two minutes before the collision, KSL reported.

Victim a devoted father and grandfather

Lichfield had celebrated his 39th wedding anniversary with his wife just a day before the crash, according to his obituary.

He is survived by his wife and five children.

Lichfield's family remembered him as a devoted father and grandfather who enjoyed reading, watching films, playing chess and building Lego with his grandchildren.

Unsatisfied with her experience at a beauty salon, a content creator took to Instagram to criticise its business practices, calling it a "scam".

Beauti Instinct, the salon located in Far East Shopping Centre, sued her for defamation and won.

However, the judge did find that Mok had genuinely felt trapped and had misgivings about the salon.

Mok Wai Kwan, who goes by Vivian Mok on Instagram, was ordered to pay S$15,000 in damages, according to a judgment dated Oct. 15.

Series of Instagram stories

In February and March 2025, she posted a series of Instagram stories about the salon after doing several treatment sessions there since 2020.

The salon argued that Mok’s stories alleged that they were cheating customers and operating under deceptive business practices.

On the first day she posted about the salon, she pinned the stories as a highlight on her Instagram page and titled it "SCAM !!"

Among other things, the Stories described the salon as “HELL”, and said it should be reported to the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE).

Mok also claimed she was "completely trapped by this unethical business model", but could not report the salon as she still had a lot of unused credit with them.

The judge ultimately found that Mok had genuinely felt trapped and had misgivings about the salon, but could not support her statements that the business was unethical.

Experience at the salon

Mok received treatments at the salon on 26 occasions between 2020 and 2025, beginning with a six-session Silk Peel Glow Facial package for S$488.

She said that during her first visit, the salon's director, Cheang Norita, told her the Silk Peel treatment was unsuitable on its own because of her sensitive skin and that she would need additional treatments.

Cheang disputed Mok's account, saying she had presented several options, including allowing Mok to proceed with the package she had already bought.

Mok subsequently signed up for a S$1,000 trial membership, then purchased a S$5,000 Gold membership, and a further S$6,624 worth of packages.

Allegations on Instagram

From Feb. 13, 2025, Mok posted a series of Instagram Stories about her experience with the salon.

The allegations include facing pressure to sign up for increasingly expensive memberships, an inconsistent explanation of credit usage, and a lack of transparency over pricing and refund policies.

She later pinned the Stories to her Instagram profile as a Highlight titled “SCAM !!”.

Among other things, the Stories described the salon as “HELL”, said it should be reported to the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE), and referred to what Mok called an “unethical business model”.

Mok changed the Highlight's title from “SCAM !!” to “BEWARE!!” on Apr. 11, 2025, before eventually removing it.

The court found that a reasonable viewer who viewed the Stories directly, without the “SCAM !!” Highlight title, would understand them as alleging that the salon had unethical business practices or an unethical business model.

Those who viewed them through the Highlight while it was titled “SCAM !!” would additionally understand Mok to be accusing the salon of being a business designed to cheat or defraud customers, the judge found.

At around the time of the posts, Mok had 8,223 Instagram followers.

Her Instagram analytics showed that the Stories were viewed 401 times by 265 unique accounts.

The “SCAM !!” title was available for about two months, while the Stories themselves remained accessible for about five months before being removed in around July 2025.

Truthfulness of her account

Mok argued that the statements in her Stories were a truthful account of her personal experience with the salon, and that she posted them in good faith to warn others.

This experience included alleged pressure to sign up for increasingly expensive memberships, an inconsistent explanation of credit usage, and a lack of transparency over pricing and refund policies.

The judge accepted that Mok's experience with the claimant as narrated in the Stories was true, and that she had genuine misgivings.

Not proven salon was unethical or attempting to cheat customers

However, the judge found that while Mok might have considered the salon’s business practices unsatisfactory, she had not proven that they were unethical or attempting to cheat customers.

Mok had accepted that she was not forced to buy memberships, and had benefited from receiving treatments at discounted member rates.

She had also agreed that the salon was not only interested in making money without concern for customers' well-being, which the judge found contradictory to her portrayal of the business as unethical or a scam.

Furthermore, the court rejected Mok's defence of fair comment. It found that statements including "SCAM !!" and that the salon "should be reported to CASE" would be understood as statements of fact rather than comments.

Issue of motive

Given the contradictions, the judge found that Mok did not genuinely believe what she stated in her Stories.

"At best therefore, this was a case of buyer’s remorse," the judge said.

But they were not persuaded that Mok had a dominant motive of harming the salon or some other improper motive.

After she had posted the Stories, the salon reached out seeking an "open conversation", but Mok declined, saying that there was nothing to talk about unless the salon was willing to discuss a refund for its services.

The judge noted that the issue of refund was only raised when the salon reached out, and thus did not believe Mok's motivation for publishing the Stories was to exact a refund.

No damages for alleged loss of business

After considering the relevant factors and comparable cases, the judge awarded Beauti Instinct S$15,000 in general damages.

However, the court did not agree with the salon's argument that Mok's Stories led to a drop in sales and new customers, as it had not proven that the decline was caused solely by the Stories.

The judge therefore declined to award special damages.

They also rejected Beauti Instinct's request for an injunction, finding no evidence that Mok was likely to repeat the defamatory allegations.

Mok's response

Following the verdict, Mok told Mothership that she had posted her genuine thoughts on the matter based on her own experience, and sought to resolve the matter amicably before it proceeded to trial, she said.

As the salon asked for what she felt was "an extravagant sum", she decided to defend herself in court.

The salon proceeded to argue for S$75,000 in damages.

She said she was glad the court found that such substantial damages could not be justified, and that the alleged business losses were not proved.

Singapore actor Nick Teo shared that he recently decided to donate his stem cells, and ended up saving the life of someone he had never met.

In an Instagram post on Oct. 21, the Mediacorp star revealed that he had signed up for the procedure "a while back" at the encouragement of his wife and fellow actor Hong Ling, who also donated her stem cells.

A stem cell transplant can help treat people with certain blood disorders including leukaemia.

Simpler than expected

Teo addressed some rumours and concerns about stem cell donation.

Among them is the concern that stem cell donation affects the donor's fertility, which Teo said he understands but went ahead anyway.

"Here I am, about to start a family of my own," he added.

The 37-year-old is expecting his first child with Hong Ling, after she experienced a miscarriage in 2025.

About how scary the procedure might be, he shared that although he was initially nervous, he realised afterwards that it was "much simpler" and not as scary as he had thought.

It began with giving himself a few injections to increase the stem cells in his blood. Hong Long helped him with the first jab.

"The actual donation was a little like donating blood," lasting about six hours, he shared.

Life-changing

Teo felt that it was "six hours well spent", using a small part of his life to give someone else a second chance at theirs.

After taking a few days to recover, he was back at work, even filming action scenes.

He encouraged others thinking of donating their stem cells to give it a go.

"A simple swab could lead to something life-changing. You never know whose life you might save!"

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