A 55-year-old licensed Singaporean real estate agent who promoted an Australian property investment scheme and caused 347 investors to lose a total of S$16.21 million has apologised online.

Wendy Kwek Siang Ling was previously sentenced to three months’ jail on Jun. 24.

She pleaded guilty to one charge under the Securities and Futures Act for consenting to her company dealing in securities without a Capital Markets Services licence from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).

Kwek is set to begin her sentence on Jul. 10.

Apology

On Jun. 27, Kwek posted on Facebook addressing her sentence and asking for forgiveness.

Victim outraged

However, after reading her apology post, one affected victim reportedly complained to Shin Min Daily News about their dissatisfaction.

The man, surnamed Wu, who invested in a real estate project in the Philippines more than ten years ago through Kwek's introduction, said that the project is still unsettled.

He said she only learned about Kwek's imprisonment after seeing media reports.

He had spent S$2,999 to attend a course she offered and then invested another S$13,000 to buy a student apartment unit in the Philippines, but the apartment was never built.

Words of encouragment

Comments under Kwek's post were mainly supportive, with many encouraging Kwek.

Some who identified themselves as Kwek's mentees and attendees of her talks also said that they still believed in her.

Some commented that "everyone makes mistakes" and told Kwek to learn from her past.

Many also penned words of encouragement, saying she will come out stronger from this mistake.

The director of three firms linked to more than 400 migrant workers who have gone unpaid for months returned to Singapore on Jun. 26.

This was announced by Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash on Jun. 28 during a visit to Kranji Recreation Centre, where he met workers from the three affected firms.

Director assisting with investigations

The three firms, VVR Plant Engineering, SK Industries and KPA Engineering, share the same director, Indian national Ramu Palani Velu.

Ramu, a Singapore permanent resident, was previously reported to be a director of seven companies in Singapore that provide services including air-conditioning, plumbing and building works.

His registered address at a private estate in Hillview had reportedly been rented out to foreigners over the past two years and is currently leased to a doctor.

He had also reportedly left Singapore. He returned on Jun. 26.

"He is currently assisting us with investigations, and his passport has been impounded," said Dinesh, adding that the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) takes a serious view of breaches to the Employment Act and Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, and will take enforcement action where necessary.

Dinesh also urged migrant workers who are owed salaries to seek assistance from the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) to recover their unpaid wages.

"These are very serious offences, and I hope our employers will be able to support our migrant workers and workers in general," he said.

Workers being placed in new jobs

About 20 affected workers have already secured jobs in equivalent sectors, Dinesh said.

He expects the vast majority, if not all, of the remaining workers to be placed within the next two to three weeks.

He also thanked the Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) and the Singapore Contractors Association for stepping forward with employment opportunities.

"They have... provided jobs, and together with our friends in MWC and NTUC, made tremendous efforts to ensure that our migrant workers, especially those displaced in the current unfortunate instance, are given alternative jobs."

Around 230 workers currently staying at Tuas View Dormitory will also be relocated to an onboarding centre in Sengkang, where accommodation and meals will be provided.

Temples, together with the Hindu Endowments Board and the Hindu Advisory Board, have also stepped forward to provide the workers with care packs.

"It's important for them to move back to some degree of normalcy, and for them to be supported during this difficult time," Dinesh said.

Support measures for affected workers

During a visit to Tuas View Dormitory on the morning of Jun. 24, NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng said MOM and the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) are working to help the migrant workers recover their unpaid salaries.

Ng said TADM and its partners are also working to contact the employers.

Meanwhile, migrant workers affected by unpaid wages, who are members of MWC, will receive S$100 in cash and S$100 in NTUC vouchers.

Affected workers can join MWC to receive the cash and vouchers.

In addition, about 150 job vacancies across 40 construction firms have been made available to the affected workers.

Arrangements are also being made to provide them with accommodation, transport and meals.

The mother of a teenage girl who died months after her biological father had sex with her is calling on California's governor to reform the state's sex crime laws, after the father received just one year in county jail.

Stephen Vincent Chavez, 41, of Moorpark, California, U.S. pleaded guilty to one felony count of incest and one misdemeanour count of furnishing alcohol to a minor, receiving one year in county jail and three years' probation, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.

According to New York Times, his daughter, Makayla Rene Settles, 18, died by suicide in December 2025, five months after the incident.

What happened

Makayla had moved from her childhood home in North Carolina to Moorpark to live with her father. In July 2025, prosecutors said Chavez provided her with alcohol before the incident took place.

The district attorney's office said in a statement:

"After a day of drinking at a family gathering, Chavez purchased additional alcohol for himself and his daughter to consume at home. Chavez then engaged in sexual intercourse with her."

Chavez insisted the encounter was consensual.

Prosecutors looked into whether a rape charge could be brought but ultimately determined that incest was the only charge the evidence could support.

Mother's reaction

Makayla's mother, Carolina Sandoval, 40, told The California Post the sentence was inadequate and that she intended to push for legislative change in her daughter's name.

She said:

"It is ridiculous. It's not justice. I'm going to fight to change these laws because no other family should have to go through what we've gone through."

Sandoval said her daughter had given investigators multiple statements, including a recorded video interview and an audio recording of Makayla speaking to her cousin about the incident. But after Makayla's death, prosecutors told her the evidence was no longer valid.

She said:

"But once she died, they told me her evidence was no longer valid. They even have an audio recording of Makayla telling her cousin what happened. You can hear the heartbreak in her voice. They had all this information, but they said it wasn't enough."

On why the case had resonated so widely, she said:

"It's exactly why women don't speak out. They relive everything over and over, only for the end result to come out like this. It's a slap in the face."

Why the sentence was lighter

According to New York Post, Ventura County Superior Court Judge Dusty Kawai said he could not impose the maximum three-year state prison term because Chavez had no prior criminal record. Prosecutors had pushed for the maximum sentence.

Deputy District Attorney Tessa McCarty said:

"Chavez exploited his position as a father, violated his daughter's trust, supplied her with alcohol, and engaged in criminal conduct that forever altered the course of her life."

She added:

"While we respect the court's decision, we continue to believe a state prison sentence was warranted under the facts of this case."

Chavez must also register as a sex offender for 20 years.

Governor's office responds

Sandoval said other sexual abuse survivors who attended the court hearings had expressed frustration with what they saw as California Governor Gavin Newsom's weak approach to prosecuting sex crimes.

Newsom's office told the Post it could not comment on decisions made by local law enforcement or courts, but pushed back on the criticism.

The office said:

"The suggestion that Governor Newsom does not take sexual assault seriously is simply false. Throughout his administration, the Governor has consistently signed legislation, invested in survivor services, strengthened protections for victims, and expanded resources to prevent sexual violence and support survivors."

Sandoval said California's sex abuse laws were "a huge grey area," adding: "Something has to change. It feels like they cater to the predator more than the victim."

"When you reach the age of 18, I will be 84. I will probably be walking with a walking stick," 73-year-old Koh Seng Leong said to his eight-year-old son Zen.

"I can hold you when you are using a walking stick," came the thoughtful reply from Zen.

The father and son were featured in CNA Insider's latest episode of On The Red Dot, which explored their 65-year age gap.

Had first child at 55

In the episode, Koh said that he is often mistaken for Zen's grandfather.

He and his wife, whom he married when he was in his thirties, had originally not thought about expanding their family.

As they grew older, they realised that their house was "too quiet" and that they needed an addition to their family.

When his wife was 55, and he was 65, she got pregnant with Zen.

"When I found out, I was very happy. I was over the moon," Koh said.

Reality of being an older parent

Koh described how, before Zen was born, he did not realise that playing with and taking care of him would require a lot of energy.

The school canteen stall owner of 30 years said that he works from Monday to Friday and would be "dead tired" after work.

But Zen would ask him to do certain things, like going downstairs to play, and he would have to explain that he was too tired to do so.

Koh said he is aware that age is catching up with him and hopes to help Zen become more independent.

However, Koh acknowledged that the eight-year-old is not quite ready and still relies on his parents.

Beach outing

Koh brings Zen to Sentosa for the first time in the documentary.

He can be seen helping to carry sand buckets and luggage, and consoling Zen after he became emotional because of his fear of heights while trying to ride the Sentosa Luge.

However, there were some things Koh ultimately could not do, such as playing football when they visited the beach.

Despite this, Koh tried his best, making sure Zen was able to enjoy his time.

He also shared that he would try to learn how to play Zen's favourite activity: video games.

The father and son also shared some emotional moments, especially when Zen surprised Koh with a roti prata birthday cake.

"I need him to be independent because I will not be around with him for a long time, the faster he becomes an independent person, the more relieved I will be," Koh said.

The body of a 50-year-old man who went missing on Jun. 23 was found in waters off Coney Island the following day.

According to a police appeal for information issued that Tuesday, Tony Hou Wen Li was last seen at about 5:20am on Jun. 23 in the vicinity of Block 178 Edgefield Plains.

He was wearing a dark-coloured shirt and shorts, and carrying a black backpack.

In response to Mothership's queries, police confirmed receiving a call for assistance at Coney Island at around 8:50am on Jun. 24.

The man's body was subsequently retrieved from the water and pronounced dead at the scene by a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) paramedic.

Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play.

Investigations are ongoing.

Brunei-born singer and actor Wu Chun took to social media to vent his frustration against Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific after his luggage went missing for three days during a trip to Paris.

The airline has since apologised, and Wu has also confirmed that his luggage has been recovered.

What happened

According to a report by South China Morning Post (SCMP), Wu posted a video describing the incident on Weibo on Jun. 25.

Wu said he was travelling from Melbourne to Hong Kong, but his flight was delayed on the tarmac for almost three hours before take-off, causing him to miss his connecting flight to Paris.

Cathay Pacific subsequently arranged another flight for him to Manchester, from which he would continue on to Paris.

However, Wu said he would only board the plane once it was confirmed that his luggage had been loaded on that flight.

He added that upon arriving in Manchester, a Cathay Pacific staff member assured him that recovering his luggage would be her priority.

The airline had also arranged for him to travel from Manchester to Paris on an Air France flight.

Unfortunately, his luggage was nowhere to be found when he landed.

"I waited in Paris for three days without any updates, so I decided to post this video. I'm sorry," Wu said.

He added that he had made "countless calls", but received responses that were "careless" and "not proactive".

"I was truly disappointed. Even more disappointing was that after waiting for three days, it still had not been found."

Cathay Pacific's response

Speaking to SCMP, Cathay Pacfic said Wu was transferred to another carrier in Europe after missing his connecting flight, adding that his baggage was also handed over for transfer in accordance with standard procedures.

However, due to issues during the local baggage transit process, his luggage was not loaded onto the connecting flight in time.

It added that the luggage was eventually located and returned to Wu following close coordination with the relevant airline and airports.

In a follow-up post on Weibo on Jun. 26, Wu said he had recovered his luggage before leaving France.

"The Cathay staff went through untold hardships to get my luggage back," Wu said. "The next three days, I have to fly to Hangzhou and Singapore for work, I will be greatly relieved."

The incident had also attracted widespread attention online as Wu had appeared in a Cathay Pacific promotional video posted on his Instagram in May 2026, slightly less than two months before the baggage mishap.

According to media reports, he is also a brand ambassador for the company.

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Wu Chun Official (@wuchun.1010)

South Korea's first-generation influencer, Lee Joo-hee, has died suddenly at the age of 44.

The news of her death was posted on her social media on Jun. 25.

According to Korean media:

"Yesterday, Lee Joo-hee, who was dearly loved as the wife of a man, the mother of a child, and by many as the head of AAV Collection, left us suddenly."

Her family announced that Lee had passed away a day earlier and thanked those who had shown their concern.

"As she was a person who always shared better things and dreamed of a beautiful and happy world with many people, we still cannot believe this news and are in deep sorrow," her family wrote.

Lee was married with one kid and was also the head of fashion brand AAV Collection.

She first rose to prominence after gaining popularity on social media.

South Korean actress and model Kim Jin-kyung has been forced to disable comments on her social media accounts after being targeted by online abuse following her husband, goalkeeper Kim Seung-gyu's performance during South Korea's 2026 World Cup match against Mexico.

South Korea lost 1-0 to the host nation, Mexico. The only goal came after Kim Seung-gyu failed to secure the ball, allowing Luis Romo to capitalise on the rebound and score, according to Kbizoom.

While Kim Seung-gyu faced intense criticism online for the error, some users even directed hostile comments at his wife's social media pages, despite her having no involvement in the match.

Negative comments even made their way into a video documenting Kim Jin-kyung's recent childbirth, with users flooding it with criticism directed at the goalkeeper.

She has since restricted comments on her YouTube channel and social media accounts. Visitors to her pages now see notices indicating that comments have been turned off or restricted to subscribers only.

Missed daughter's birth for the World Cup

The couple married in June 2024 and recently welcomed their first daughter.

Kim Seung-gyu was away with the South Korean national team during the birth and was unable to be present, seeing his newborn for the first time through photographs and video calls.

He reportedly saw his daughter open her eyes for the first time during a call with his wife, shortly before South Korea's match against the Czech Republic.

At a press conference, he publicly apologised to his wife for missing the birth of their daughter, vowing to repay her with strong performances for the national team.

A court has ordered that an infant boy, who was nine-months-old at the time of the hearing, be placed under the supervision of an Approved Welfare Officer (AWO) while remaining in his mother's care.

This comes after the court found that repeated domestic violence between his parents placed him in need of care and protection.

Under the order, the child's contact with his father will be subject to the AWO's approval.

The decision, published in a judgement on Jun. 22, followed a series of violent confrontations between the married couple after the birth of their son in August 2025, as well as concerns over the child's medical care.

The father has appealed against the decision.

Relationship marked by recurring physical altercations

According to the judgment, the couple's relationship had been marked by recurring physical altercations from the outset.

The Protective Service (PSV) submitted that the father's violence escalated after the mother became pregnant, though he disputed this.

In one incident, the father had allegedly said he intended to go to East Coast Park to take his own life, and did not return home for several days.

During his absence, the mother stood in front of a closed-circuit television camera holding a knife in an attempt to prompt his return.

The timing of the incident was contested.

While PSV dated it to August 2025, the mother said it occurred during her pregnancy and that nobody was harmed.

Meanwhile, the father claimed it took place the following month, and that he had been locked out of the home, rather than having left voluntarily.

Assaulted each other while father was holding the baby

On Sep. 18, 2025, the parents became involved in a physical brawl after the father accused the mother of conspiring with others to take their son away from him.

The mother had pulled the father's shirt, punched his shoulder and slapped his face while he was carrying the baby.

The father also allegedly made suicidal and homicidal threats, including saying, "I will kill you and the baby" and "I want to kill myself."

Before police arrived, the father allegedly pinned the mother against a couch, covered her mouth and choked her until she lost consciousness.

The infant was asleep in a bassinet throughout the incident.

The father denied choking the mother, saying the allegation stemmed solely from her application for a Personal Protection Order (PPO).

Multiple family members involved

Five days later, another dispute broke out after the father allegedly ignored the mother's repeated requests to lower the volume of music he was playing in the kitchen.

The mother threw the speaker outside, prompting the father to leave before returning with his parents.

A physical altercation then ensued.

According to the judgment, the father's mother tried to pull the baby away from the maternal grandmother, while his father grabbed the maternal grandmother by the face.

The father then took the child from the maternal grandmother.

The mother suffered injuries to her face and arms while attempting to de-escalate the situation.

The court noted that the infant was physically handled by several people during the confrontation.

Following the incident, the father voluntarily moved out of the matrimonial home.

Around the same period, both parties started filing PPO applications against each other and were granted expedited orders (EOs).

Jammed the locks to prevent wife and son from leaving

The father returned to the home unannounced on Oct. 6, 2025 to stay.

He also disagreed with PSV's proposed safety plan that required him to move out.

On Oct. 11, 2025, after discovering that the mother had changed the locks, he allegedly jammed them to prevent the mother and child from leaving the flat.

The father disputed this account, claiming the key became stuck because the mother held the internal latch, and that he broke the key only while trying to remove himself from the situation.

Five days later, he returned again and switched off the electricity supply while the mother and child were inside the flat in an attempt to gain entry.

He eventually left the matrimonial home for good after that incident.

About a month later, however, he returned to the home again and changed the locks.

When his wife and mother-in-law returned home with his son, the father allegedly tried to remove the infant from his pram.

His mother-in-law intervened, leading to another physical confrontation while she was carrying the infant.

She alleged that the father elbowed her and punched her twice in the left eye, causing a laceration to her eyelid and a fractured nose.

The father denied assaulting her, saying he acted in self-defence to protect him and his son.

The father then barricaded himself inside the home with the child, leaving the mother locked outside overnight despite PSV's advice for her to disengage.

The father alleged that during the standoff, the mother had cut off the flat's electricity and water supply for about an hour and played loud noises outside.

Both parents were arrested at about 7:15am the following morning for breaching their respective EOs.

Their son was said to have remained asleep throughout the overnight incident.

Son had a medical condition

According to the judgement paper, the boy was born with a clubbed left foot and was prescribed a corrective leg brace, which doctors instructed should be worn for 23 hours a day until he turned four.

They warned that failing to follow the treatment plan could result in recurrence of the condition and permanent deformity requiring corrective surgery.

The brace was first fitted on Sep. 4, 2025, but was removed after four days.

The child went without it for about two weeks prior to his follow-up appointment, where doctors observed that the condition had recurred.

Each parent blamed the other for this.

The mother said the father rejected the diagnosis and wanted doctors to stop treatment because he did not believe their son had a clubbed foot.

On the other hand, the father claimed the mother had removed the brace because of caregiver stress and fatigue.

PSV ultimately accepted that the mother had faced legitimate practical difficulties caring for the infant alone after the father left the matrimonial home, particularly before her own mother arrived to assist.

During that period, the brace repeatedly slipped off and she managed only about 12 hours of daily compliance.

As a result, PSV's allegation of medical neglect was directed solely at the father.

Judge's decision

In her judgment, the judge accepted PSV's submission that exposing a child to repeated domestic violence could have serious long-term effects on the child's emotional, cognitive and neurological development, even if those consequences emerged only later.

The judge also found, more likely than not, that the father had deliberately discontinued the child's prescribed use of the leg brace without medical justification or obtaining a second medical opinion, amounting to medical neglect.

Although PSV had sought to remove the child from the family home, the judge concluded that fostering was not the most appropriate arrangement.

She found that each parent was individually capable of caring for the child, and that the primary concern was the danger posed by their conflict when together.

"The real concern was that the parents’ relationship was so acrimonious that it would endanger [the infant's] safety to place him around both parents at the same time. Accordingly, care must be taken before ruling out the possibility of placing the child under statutory supervision under the care of one parent."

The judge also noted that the mother preferred fostering over effectively sharing care with the father, and the father said he would rather the child remain in the mother's sole care than be placed in foster care.

"I therefore proceeded on the basis that there was common ground between both parties, i.e., that in terms of ordinal preferences, both parties ranked placing [the infant] under the mother’s care ahead of fostering [the infant]," she said.

Taking these factors into account, the judge ruled that it was in the child's best interests to remain with his mother under statutory supervision by an AWO, with the father's access to be determined by the AWO.

The father has since appealed the decision.

The parents of the 17-year-old girl who was found dead inside a suitcase in Pattaya expressed their grief and heartbreak while waiting to collect their child's body.

The girl, named Tunchanok Donhomla, was found dead after being last seen entering a building with a 45-year-old Australian man, Simon Carman, on Jun. 25.

Carman was arrested on Jun. 26 at the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok on suspicion of murdering the girl.

Tunchanok's parents described their desperation when they first heard that Tunchanok was missing, and their initial hope that she was still alive, according to The Thaiger.

First trip

Tunchanok's parents said this was the teen's first trip to the city, and they recalled urging her to stay safe.

The teen, who lives in Kalasin province, had travelled to Pattaya on Jun. 16 with a 19-year-old friend.

The family described the girl as a hardworking, good-natured girl who helped support the family and had never been in any trouble.

She had kept in touch with her family throughout the trip, but stopped contact after her last message around 5:12 pm on Jun. 26.

Her friend later reported her missing.

Heartbreaking journey

The teen's stepmother recalled their desperation as they drove down from Kalasin to Pattaya.

They learned that police were searching for a foreign suspect after he had been seen wheeling a suitcase out of his room.

The family clung to hope that she might still be alive and could not bring themselves to believe their child could be inside the suitcase.

When police later confirmed that the girl was found inside the suitcase, her family reportedly stopped the vehicle and wept along the road.

Suspect apologised to family

In a video filmed by local police, Carman was seen apologising to the teen's family and saying her death was "out of my control".

He said he felt bad for what happened, adding:

"It was out of my control. I know you'll be very sad, upset, same-same me. It shouldn't happen and I hope you're okay. I know you're not, but I hope."

He also told them to caution other girls to be "careful," then said he didn't want to speak anymore.