Round-trip direct flight tickets between Singapore and Ipoh, Malaysia, have soared to a new high during the 2027 Chinese New Year period.

According to checks on Scoot's booking page on Oct. 21, a round trip from Feb. 5, 2027, to Feb. 8, 2027, starts from S$1,421, while one-way tickets from Singapore to Ipoh start from S$734.

Prices within two weeks of this period remain roughly in the same range.

While flight prices have traditionally hiked during this season, the highest a round-trip ticket had reached previously was S$1,100, according to Shin Min Daily News.

Reasons for hike

The media outlet reported that experts attributed the hike to reasons like a lack of travel options.

One travel consultant posited that hiking oil prices due to the Middle East crisis have led to higher airport taxes and airfare.

Scoot is the only airline flying direct between Singapore and Ipoh, after AirAsia suspended the route in April 2025 and Batik Air, which replaced it, ended its service in May 2026 after about five months. The consultant said limited choice could push up fares.

The limited travel options may have driven up ticket prices.

Travellers exploring other options

An Ipoh native residing in Singapore told Shin Min that in light of the pricey tickets, she may consider taking a bus or train home instead.

Another Ipoh resident cited the hefty prices and a lack of confirmation on whether she would be able to apply for leave in Singapore to return home.

With the uncertainties, she may reschedule her trip altogether, she said.

The family of Neo Jia Ming, who was jailed on Oct. 21 with his wife for the fatal abuse of their eight-month-old son, expressed shock and disbelief over the details heard in court.

For almost the entirety of baby Trevor's life, his parents frequently smothered and shook him to stop him from crying.

On Sep. 2, 2024, Trevor's mother Chloe Gan suffocated him using her hands and flipped him in his cot, resulting in his death. Neo, who witnessed this, did not do anything to stop it.

After both pleaded guilty, Gan, 23, was sentenced to 15 years and 3 months in jail, while Neo, 27, was sentenced to 16 years in jail.

At the end of the hearing, their lawyers requested that both their parents be allowed to speak to them, and the judge granted this.

Speaking to reporters outside the Supreme Court afterwards, Neo's mother and elder sister said they remember Trevor as a very good boy.

"He always wanted hugs, and we have never heard him cry."

Convicted

Neo's family described Neo as a timid person who dearly loved his wife, Shin Min Daily News reported.

"I think of him as a timid person, so when I learnt what happened, I completely could not believe he did this," his sister said in Mandarin. "We all felt very shocked."

Neo was also convicted for domestic abuse against Gan, including punching her more than 10 times in the head after an argument.

However, his sister said she had never noticed any signs of violence or trouble in the couple's relationship, nor any marks on Gan, according to CNA.

Instead, Neo appeared devoted to his wife, she observed.

He used to work as a pet groomer and food delivery rider, the family shared.

His sister added that he would sometimes ask her for help, and she would give him money.

Conversation

When Neo and Gan visited Neo's mother with the baby, they appeared happy, the mother said.

Although she saw nothing worrying about their behaviour, they would tell her they were exhausted, CNA reported.

They did not visit her at her place with Trevor often because their schedules often did not align, she said.

During the sentencing, the judge noted that the couple was not left on their own to take care of Trevor as they seemed well supported by family members.

Neo's mother added that the last time she saw Trevor was in the final weeks of his life. She did not see any signs of abuse then.

Neo's family also shared with reporters about the conversation they had with Neo after the hearing.

He told them he hoped to continue studying while in prison, and his mother encouraged him to work hard.

As for Gan's parents, they appeared to console their daughter as they talked to her, often reaching through a partition to touch her gently. She was seen crying when the judge read out the sentences.

A Malaysian Member of Parliament (MP) has suggested that the country consider shutting down pig farms nationwide and importing pork instead, citing Singapore as an example.

However, another Malaysian MP pointed out one rather important detail: Singapore itself imports live pigs from Malaysia.

The exchange took place in Malaysia's Dewan Rakyat, following a proposal by Tasek Gelugor (Penang) MP Wan Saiful Wan Jan on Oct. 19.

Suggested Malaysia follow Singapore's example

According to Malay Mail, Wan Saiful urged the Malaysian government to consider closing pig farms nationwide and importing pork to meet domestic demand.

He argued that the proposal should be considered from the perspective of environmental pollution, public welfare and sustainability, rather than race or religion.

He said:

"Personally, I feel it would not be excessive for me to propose that the federal government consider whether it is appropriate for Malaysia to continue having large pig farms when pork supplies can be obtained through imports, as done in Singapore."

"In fact, imported pork may be cheaper than that farmed in Malaysia," he added.

Wan Saiful also suggested that relying on imports could be a safer approach, as pig farms were likely to face opposition from nearby residents regardless of their location.

The proposal was not the first of its kind.

According to Focus Malaysia, Sabak Bernam (Selangor) MP Kalam Salan had made a similar suggestion in January 2026.

But Singapore imports pigs from Sarawak

Responding to Wan Saiful's proposal, Raub (Pahang) MP Chow Yu Hui questioned the logic of closing pig farms in Malaysia when Singapore imports live pigs from Sarawak.

According to Malaysiakini, Chow cited figures from the Sarawak Veterinary Services Department showing that the state exported 120,000 live pigs to Singapore in 2024.

The exports generated RM197.6 million (approximately S$61.96 million) in revenue.

He added that Sarawak exported around 2,500 live pigs to Singapore every week in 2025.

According to Chow, exports of live pigs from Sarawak to Singapore have generated RM742.5 million (approximately S$232.83 million) since 2000.

Chow questioned what would happen to Singapore's supply if Malaysian pig farms were shut down.

"If we were to close down all pig farms in Malaysia, including those in Sarawak, from where else would Singapore be able to import live pigs?" he asked.

Concerns over reliance on imported pork

The proposal also drew criticism from Bekok (Johor) assemblyperson Tan Chong, who warned that shutting down pig farms could increase Malaysia's reliance on imported pork.

According to Malaysiakini, Tan said Malaysia's pork self-sufficiency rate was approximately 67.8 per cent, with domestic production reaching 115,284 tonnes in 2025.

He argued that reducing local production could leave Malaysia more vulnerable to overseas supply disruptions, animal disease outbreaks and export restrictions.

Tan also maintained that pollution concerns should be addressed through enforcement against individual farms rather than shutting down the entire industry.

Just two years ago, London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) described Indonesia as “a compelling global investment proposition”.

Now, global index provider MSCI is proposing to remove the country’s stock market from its emerging-market classification over concerns about transparency and trading practices.

The warning triggered an 11.57 per cent plunge in the Jakarta Composite Index on Oct. 16, its biggest one-day decline since January 1998.

Asia's stock market darling

Indonesia’s appeal to international investors stretches back well over a decade.

In December 2010, Reuters reported: “Indonesia has been a darling of emerging market investors this year.”

At the time, its stock market had risen about 40 per cent that year, driven by strong domestic consumption.

Its fortunes subsequently fluctuated. By 2013, Indonesia had been grouped among the “Fragile Five” economies vulnerable to capital outflows and currency depreciation when global interest rates rose.

But in 2022, Reuters reported that its economy and capital markets were showing resilience during another round of global monetary tightening, helped by booming commodity exports.

Indonesia’s benchmark was then approaching a record high as many markets elsewhere struggled with rising U.S. interest rates.

It finished 2022 up 4.09 per cent, with foreign investors buying a net 60.6 trillion rupiah (S$4.3 billion) of shares, according to Indonesian financial authorities.

The positive assessments continued as recently as 2024.

In an analysis published on Apr. 30, 2024, titled “Indonesia: A Hidden Gem?”, LSEG highlighted the country’s abundant natural resources, growing role in the electric vehicle supply chain, and strong trade and investment flows.

The report noted that the market capitalisation of its FTSE Indonesia Total Cap Index had grown 19.6 per cent in 2023 to US$452 billion (S$577.73 billion).

These factors supported its assessment that Indonesia remained an attractive destination for global investment.

MSCI proposes standalone-market status

In an Oct. 15 statement, MSCI announced a consultation on a proposal to reclassify the MSCI Indonesia Indexes from emerging-market to standalone-market status.

The global index provider said investors remained concerned about opaque shareholding structures, suspected coordinated trading and a lack of meaningful enforcement.

“Accordingly, MSCI considers Indonesia’s continued classification as an Emerging Market no longer appropriate,” it said.

MSCI acknowledged reforms announced by Indonesian authorities, including greater shareholder disclosure.

However, investors wanted evidence that the measures were being consistently implemented and would be producing lasting improvements.

It added that feedback suggested even a downgrade to frontier-market status would inadequately reflect the depth of the problems.

Broader policy concerns have also weighed on sentiment.

In February 2026, Reuters reported that investors were worried about government spending, fiscal discipline and central-bank credibility under President Prabowo Subianto.

A frontier market is a market status indicating that a country’s stock market is generally smaller, less actively traded and less accessible to international investors than an emerging market.

A standalone market, as proposed by MSCI for Indonesia, is a classification that would place its stocks outside both MSCI’s emerging-market and frontier-market indexes, potentially triggering substantial investment outflows.

Billions of dollars could leave Indonesian stocks

MSCI’s indexes are used by investment funds worldwide to construct portfolios and measure performance.

Standalone markets sit outside its emerging-market and frontier-market index products.

Removal would require funds replicating the affected indexes to sell Indonesian holdings, while active fund managers could also reduce their exposure.

UBS estimated about US$4 billion in passive outflows, with potentially another US$15 billion (S$19.17 billion) from active investors, according to Reuters.

Indonesia moves to respond

After meeting MSCI on Oct. 19, the Indonesia Stock Exchange said it would exclude stocks with highly concentrated ownership from its benchmark index.

The financial regulator also pledged to continue reforms addressing transparency, liquidity and enforcement against trading violations, Reuters reported.

MSCI’s consultation ends on Apr. 30, 2027, with a final decision due by Jun. 30, 2027.

It expects to proceed with the reclassification unless there is clear evidence of meaningful improvements.

The Certificate of Entitlement (COE) Category A premium for smaller cars rose S$2,003 to S$132,004 in the bidding exercise that closed on Oct. 21, 2026.

This puts Cat A premiums above Cat B premiums, which is for larger cars.

Cat B, for bigger and more powerful cars, rose S$1,801 to S$131,901.

This is S$103 below Cat A.

"We note that there is an upcoming car exhibition which may lead to elevated demand and COE prices during this period," the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said in a statement.

"We urge car buyers and dealers to be prudent in bidding for COEs," the authority said.

The Cat A premium is now S$1,005 below the record S$133,009 set on Sep. 9.

Cat A premiums previously closed above Cat B once in February, in April and in June.

Other categories

Only the motorcycle and Open category premiums fell.

Cat C, for goods vehicles and buses, rose S$311 to S$92,200.

Cat D, for motorcycles, fell S$234 to S$10,778.

The Open category, which can be used for any vehicle except a motorcycle, fell S$1,210 to S$135,790.

When a mother in Singapore passed away, her will bequeathed her estate to two sons and two granddaughters, leaving two of her other sons out of her inheritance.

After the brothers' relations grew strained due to their exclusion from the inheritance, their uncle proposed that the sons included in the will use the proceeds of a property sale left by their mother to give S$300,000 to each of the brothers.

Though they signed a handwritten agreement, and sold the property — a semi-detached house at Eng Kong Road — for S$5 million, one of the sons included in the will refused to allow the sum of S$600,000 to be withdrawn and distributed to his other two brothers.

This prompted the other son to take him to court and compel him to pay his brothers.

On Oct. 19, the judge found that the handwritten agreement was legally binding, and ordered the man to honour his payments.

The two brothers had several other financial and legal disputes which were also addressed in court.

Backstory

The mother, according to an Oct. 19 judgement, died in December 2012 and left behind several properties and monies.

Her four surviving sons were the claimant — David Chan Yip Tong, the defendant, Franklin Chan Yip Tong, and their two other brothers, Jack Chan Yip Tong and George Chan Yip Tong. 

One son, Oliver Peter Yip Tong had died before her.

David and Franklin were named as the executors of her estate, which was to be bequeathed to David, Franklin, Oliver's daughter, and George's daughter.

Three properties were to be inherited:

• The Eng Kong Road house, to be divided equally,
• A retail property at Far East Shopping Centre to be divided by the two sons and Peter's daughter, and
• A condominium unit at Hindhede Walk to be shared by the two granddaughters.

Relations between the brothers soon became strained, especially because Jack and George were left with nothing.

Their uncle, Tam Sook, then flew from Mauritius to Singapore in June 2018 to help mediate.

After he proposed that David and Franklin should use the proceeds from the Eng Kong Road property sale to give S$300,000 each to their brothers, the two agreed orally.

However, the sum was never transferred.

Franklin claimed that in their oral agreement, one of the conditions agreed upon was that the house would have to be sold by Sept. 30 2018, and since the house was not sold by then, the agreement was superseded.

David, on the other hand, disagreed that it was a condition, arguing that it was a target date by which they would attempt to pay George and Jack.

Sold

In September 2021, Franklin told David that there was a offer to buy the house for S$5 million. As David was a co-owner of the property, his signature was needed in order to facilitate the sale.

When Franklin met David to procure his signature, David told him that he would not authorise the Option to Purchase (OTP) unless Franklin agreed to sign an agreement to give the S$600,000 sum to their other two brothers.

This agitated Franklin, and the two began to quarrel. However, Franklin later relented, and both brothers signed the agreement.

However, the next day, Franklin sent David a text message:

"This is my stance and I declare this note was not created by me, I reject and disagree totally with this note. I was signed under duress with your unknow (sic) hidden ulterior motive. Sorry"

David retorted that he would then consider the OTP to be invalid.

Nevertheless, the property was ultimately sold in April 2022, with the proceeds split between David and Franklin.

Yet the S$600,000 was still not distributed to their brothers.

The two had placed the sum in a joint account that needed authorisation from both parties to make any withdrawals.

David refused to let Franklin withdraw any amount, stating that the money was payable to their brothers.

On the other hand, Franklin claimed that the handwritten agreement was invalid due to lack of consideration and economic duress and/or unconscionability.

Judge weighs in

The judge found that the agreement was valid and that Franklin was obliged to honour it.

Franklin first argued that David had stipulated a set of stringent concessions from the buyer, and since Franklin was the property agent facilitating the sale, the two brothers agreed that David would sign the OTP in exchange for Franklin getting the buyer to agree to his onerous demands.

This meant that David would have committed himself to signing the OTP.

However, text messages revealed that he was non-committal to the sale, telling Franklin, "We shall see the market then."

Furthermore, Franklin claimed that he bought a HDB flat around that time, and since private property owners were not allowed to concurrently own a HDB flat, he needed to divest himself of the Eng Kong Road house, and that David knowingly used this to mount pressure on him.

But more text messages revealed that he told David he was actively considering buying another condominium at the time.

The judge thus struck down Franklin's arguments that he signed the handwritten agreement and made the sale under duress.

His opinion was that it was "obvious" that Franklin was "bent on making a killing from the sale".

Namely, the buyer had offered a price of S$5 million, more than 10 per cent above the bank's valuation of S$4.5 million.

Text messages revealed that when Franklin told David that they found a "windfall offer", the latter replied that he first wanted the payments to their two brothers to be addressed.

Exasperated, Franklin complained that he finally found a "sucker" willing to pay S$5 million, and questioned why David was so reticent.

As such, the judge rejected Franklin's arguments and ordered him to pay the full S$600,000 to George and Jack.

"The defendant should not be allowed to now raise the doctrine of economic duress to wriggle out of keeping to his word," the judge said.

Other issues

Aside from the sum to be paid to their brothers, the judge also settled several issues between David and Franklin arising from the inheritance.

David successfully claimed S$39,300 in unpaid rent and rental proceeds from Franklin for the Eng Kong House road.

Franklin had previously stayed at the property in exchange for rent, followed by another tenant that Franklin found.

The judge also dismissed several claims by Franklin regarding "excess rent" and property tax.

He also ordered that David furnish an account of a blue attaché case containing valuables belonging to their mother.

A rubbish truck caught fire at the junction of Bedok Reservoir Road and Bedok Reservoir View on Oct. 20.

Photos and a video shared on social media showed a pile of rubbish on the road, with firefighters spraying water on it.

Rubbish on the road

According to a Facebook post by SG Road Vigilante (SGRV), cardboard inside the rubbish truck had caught fire, prompting its contents to be unloaded onto the road.

A photo shared by SG Road Vigilante (SGRV) showed a pile of rubbish on the road, with an SCDF vehicle at the scene and a jet of water directed at the rubbish.

A video shared by Singapore Incidents also showed firefighters spraying water on the pile of rubbish on the road.

No injuries reported

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the fire at about 12:40pm on Oct. 20.

"The fire involved the contents of a rubbish truck," SCDF said. "SCDF extinguished the fire using two water jets."

There were no reported injuries and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Netizens react

The incident also drew some humourous comments online.

"Like after eat mala, then suddenly laosai (diarrhea) on the road," one Facebook user commented.

Another joked: "Truck bit into a Mala powerbank."

After drinking three glasses of whisky on ice, a 35-year-old Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officer drove home and crashed his car into a concrete barrier at a slip road into Loyang Avenue.

Ken Ong then walked home and returned with his father-in-law, and claimed he drank three cans of beer at home to the officer at the scene.

He was arrested after failing a breathalyser test and later admitted to drinking alcohol before driving.

Ong pleaded guilty to four charges, including drink driving, driving without due care and attention, and two counts of giving a public servant information which he knew to be false.

At the time of the incident, he held the rank of Assistant Superintendent of Police at ICA, according to court documents seen by Mothership.

Drink driving

On Jun. 14, 2025, Ong drank three glasses of whisky on ice at Prinsep Street between 12am and 2am.

He attempted to arrange for a valet driver, but was unsuccessful and subsequently decided to drive himself home to Pasir Ris.

Ong later lost control of his car and collided with a concrete barrier along Tampines Expressway (TPE) towards Seletar Expressway (SLE), at the slip road into Loyang Avenue.

He decided to walk home from there and asked his father-in-law to accompany him back to the collision.

When they returned at about 4:30am, they found that a police officer was at the scene.

The police officer had spotted Ong’s car slanted diagonally across two lanes at about 3:50am.

Upon inspection, he found that the car was deserted and damaged in the front.

Ong identified himself as the owner of the car to the officer and claimed that he had not drunk alcohol before driving.

According to court documents, he told the police officer that he was driving his car until it stopped at the incident location and became stationary.

He also said he walked home and drank three cans of beer before returning, and that any damage that the car had was old.

The police officer administered a breathalyser test, which Ong failed.

He was arrested for drink driving and brought to the Traffic Police headquarters.

There, Ong underwent a Breath Analysing Device (BAD) test at about 7:38am.

The test revealed that the proportion of alcohol in his breath was 76μg of alcohol in every 100ml of breath. The prescribed limit is 35μg of alcohol per 100ml of breath.

Expended resources

At about 11:10am on the same day, a police senior staff sergeant obtained a statement from Ong.

Ong admitted to drinking alcohol before he drove, but maintained that he also drank two or three cans of beer at home.

The traffic police subsequently expended resources for further investigations.

On Jun. 19, 2026, Ong admitted to the police that he had drunk alcohol before he drove, and not after.

Investigations revealed that Ong failed to have proper control of his car, resulting in a collision with a concrete barrier on the left side of the road.

Ong's sentencing date is scheduled for Oct. 22.

Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong called his official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) "an opportunity" to strengthen ties between Singapore and the UAE "amid growing global uncertainty".

In Facebook posts on Oct. 21, he added that it is also an opportunity to "explore new areas of cooperation".

"The UAE is a longstanding partner of Singapore," said PM Wong, who arrived in Abu Dhabi on Oct. 20 for his first official visit to the UAE as Prime Minister.

He is doing so the invitation of Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the president of the UAE.

Prepare for future

On Oct. 21, PM Wong said he was glad to catch up with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled Bin Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, whom he had previously hosted in Singapore in 2024.

Both had met again on the sidelines of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) in 2025, he noted, adding that it was good to reconnect in Abu Dhabi.

"We exchanged views on how our countries can prepare for the future, while staying rooted in our heritage and values, and keeping the well-being of our people at the heart of what we do," said PM Wong.

Areas of interest in both countries

PM Wong's visit also marked a fruitful discussion with UAE business leaders, hosted by Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, Chairman of Abu Dhabi’s Executive Affairs Authority and Group CEO of Mubadala.

He noted that the UAE has "considerable strengths in energy — not just oil and gas, but also renewables and nuclear power".

"It is also investing heavily in new capabilities, particularly in AI and defence technologies," he said.

PM Wong pointed out that "these are areas of interest to Singapore too, and there is much scope for us to deepen cooperation".

"Beyond government-to-government partnerships, we can do more to connect our businesses and investors, explore new opportunities, and build on each other's strengths," he said,

He added: "We share many priorities, and there is much we can learn from each other's experiences and approaches."

"I look forward to building on our friendship and deepening our cooperation in the years ahead!"

Official visits

This is part of PM Wong's official visits to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Oct. 18 to 22.

He had earlier visited Qatar from Oct. 18 to 20, where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) announced in an Oct. 19 statement that Singapore and Qatar plan to upgrade their bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership.

Both countries had agreed to work towards elevating relations in a meeting on the same day with both countries' ministers and senior officials in attendance.

An Anytime Fitness member is disputing a S$65 “tailgating” charge he received after a man apparently followed him into the gym at Tampines Grande.

In a Xiaohongshu post, the gym member said he had tapped into the premises and the stranger tailed him to get in.

He subsequently shared screenshots of what appeared to be a WhatsApp exchange with a person representing Anytime Fitness Tampines Grande.

Did not know the man

In the screenshots, the outlet told the gym member that CCTV footage on Oct. 8 showed a person entering the gym without separately tapping a key fob.

The gym member was asked if he knew the person who had followed him into the premises.

The message also included what appeared to be an image from surveillance footage showing a man in a red t-shirt entering the gym after the gym member went in.

The gym member replied that he did not know the person behind him, adding that he usually visited the gym alone and that the outlet could check his previous access records.

The gym member was then told:

“Please note that allowing someone to enter without tapping in separately is considered tailgating, regardless of whether you know the person.”

He was also told that tailgating carried a S$65 fee, referring to a notice at the entrance.

In a subsequent message, the gym acknowledged that the member might not have intentionally let the other person in.

However, it said members were expected to ensure the door closed securely behind them to prevent unauthorised access.

According to the screenshots, the member was given 48 hours to settle the charge.

‘Not your security personnel’

The gym member disputed the charge, saying he had neither invited nor intentionally allowed the stranger to enter.

In his reply to the outlet, he said: “I am a paying member of Anytime Fitness, not your security personnel.”

He also questioned how was he supposed to know whether a stranger behind him had tapped in and argued that he should not automatically be held responsible for another person’s actions.

The gym member also asked for the matter to be escalated to management.

In his Xiaohongshu post, he said he had been a long-time member of Anytime Fitness and was disappointed with how the issue had been handled.

Lodged police report and contacted CASE

In an update on Oct. 14, the gym member said he had yet to receive a further response or explanation from Anytime Fitness.

He also said he had lodged a police report and contacted the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE).

Similar case in 2023

In August 2023, a man was charged S$60 after another person allegedly entered an Anytime Fitness outlet in Bugis behind him without tapping a key fob.

The man disputed the fee, saying he had not noticed the woman entering behind him.

In a follow-up TikTok video, he shared screenshots of his gym membership's terms and conditions, which stated that members could be charged a guest fee if they allowed someone else to use their key fob.

However, a separate clause in his membership acceptance letter stated that members could be charged S$30 if someone else used their key fob.

The man questioned the difference between the S$30 fee stated in his letter and the S$60 he was charged, claiming he had not been informed of the increase.

He eventually paid the S$60 fee after being told he could be barred from all Anytime Fitness outlets if he failed to do so.

Mothership has reached out to Anytime Fitness for comment.