After 26 years in Beijing's Oriental Plaza shopping mall, Food Republic's last Beijing outlet will close on Jun. 15 at 8pm.

According to Chinese digital media outlet Jiemian News on May 23, Food Republic placed a notice at the outlet's entrance announcing the closure.

The notice said that customers with membership or stored-value cards should process their refunds as soon as possible.

Jiemian News reported that the Beijing Oriental Plaza store was the first store in the capital and opened in 2000.

China's first Food Republic store opened in Shanghai in 1997.

Tenancy lease to expire

BreadTalk, the Singapore food and beverage company that owns the foodcourt chain, told The Straits Times (ST) that the closure was due to the expiry of the outlet's tenancy lease.

The company said it will focus on its network of nearly 20 Food Republic stores across China, especially in Shanghai and Shenzhen.

BreadTalk added that the Chinese market remains a core priority for the long-term development of Food Republic.

The company also told ST that it will focus on its stores in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Business plans

BreadTalk added that Food Republic will diversify its business model to deepen corporate partnerships and aims to partner with educational institutions and corporate headquarters in China to operate in-house cafeterias.

The company added that it aims to steadily expand in key markets such as Singapore, Thailand, and the UK.

According to Jiemian News, at Food Republic's peak, there were more than 40  outlets in mainland China.

Based on Food Republic's website, the foodcourt operator has 14 outlets in Singapore, and it also operates in Malaysia.

A 60-year-old woman in Singapore apparently fell victim to a romance scam and lost S$5,000 in the process.

She only realised she was scammed when she could not get her "investment" money back, Shin Min Daily News reported.

"Jack"

The woman, who chose to remain anonymous, told Shin Min that she was contacted by a man identified as Jack through a messaging app in the middle of 2025.

Jack claimed to be an Australian resident, and that his aunt knew the victim.

The woman said he had asked her if she could provide information for his daughter on studying in Singapore.

They later switched communications to WhatsApp.

During their conversations, he frequently checked on her well-being and apparently showered her with attention.

The woman claimed that they mainly exchanged text messages and spoke on the phone.

They never had a video call.

The woman, who got divorced 13 years ago, said he appeared caring and would ask if she had consumed her meals.

Jack also apparently reminded her to soak her feet, and she would even send him photos.

According to chat logs, he would call her “wife” even after she replied that she was no longer young and attractive, but he would reassure her.

The woman also claimed that Jack would show concern for her daily life.

She thought she had finally met a man she could get along with and fell for him.

The woman and her ex-husband have two daughters, both of whom are married.

She spends her time caring for her grandchildren.

Investments

In September 2025, Jack purportedly taught her how to invest online.

As the woman trusted him, she followed his instructions to download an app and provided her email address.

Jack then said she needed to hand over the money to a stranger.

Following his instructions, she withdrew S$5,000 in cash.

Meet

At around noon on Sep. 23, 2025, the woman met the stranger.

The woman claimed that the stranger apparently sent her a WhatsApp message that Jack instructed him to collect the money for investment purposes.

The stranger also informed her that he had arrived at the designated meeting place.

She then handed him S$5,000 in cash near a toilet at Jurong Point when they met.

The woman took a photograph of him.

Realisation

About two weeks later, Jack asked her to increase her investments.

She declined as she did not have enough money.

This reportedly angered Jack.

She later tried to withdraw her funds, but was told that she had not met the minimum withdrawal requirement.

That was when she realised she had been scammed and subsequently lodged a police report.

The woman said she does not dare to inform her family that she had fallen for a love scam.

The seat options available to Singapore Airlines' business class passengers during advance seat selection now depend on fare type and KrisFlyer membership status.

This follows changes to the airline's seat selection policy, which kicked in on Jun. 2, 2026.

Prior to the changes, business class passengers could generally select from seat options throughout the cabin.

Fare-type dependent options

Under the new policy, PPS Club members, as well as passengers on Business Flexi and Business Standard fares, will continue to be able to select any available seat when booking their tickets, an SIA spokesperson explained in response to media queries.

KrisFlyer members become a PPS Club member after accumulating enough PPS Value by flying on SIA's suites, first class or business class.

Passengers on lower-priced Business Lite tickets and those redeeming Saver or Advantage tickets will only be able to select their seats from a smaller selection at the time of booking.

Saver or Advantage tickets are award tickets which passengers can redeem with miles.

Seat selections made before Jun. 2, 2026, will not be affected, the spokesperson said.

"This change is part of our ongoing efforts to adjust seat availability for commercial reasons, while accommodating customers with specific needs," the SIA spokesperson said.

Passengers may view the seat map for their flight, and select or change seats using the Manage Booking function on the airline's website or mobile app.

"SIA apologises to all customers if their preferred seat is unavailable," the SIA spokesperson said.

What was meant to be a family holiday in Bintan turned into a terrifying ordeal after a boat carrying several Singaporeans, including a child and a 6-month-old baby, capsized during a mangrove tour on May 31.

In Instagram highlights shared on Jun. 3, Sharifah Aminah said her family of 28 had travelled to Tanjung Pinang and Bintan from May 30 to Jun. 1 for what was supposed to be a “joyful holiday”.

Instead, the trip became “one of the most terrifying experiences” of their lives.

Boat allegedly overloaded

Aminah told Mothership they had arrived at the Bintan Mangrove at around 1pm. The group had then gone on for lunch at a kelong restaurant before they were picked up by speedboats for a mangrove tour in Lagoi at around 2pm.

Before boarding, several family members noticed that the weather “wasn’t looking good”, with dark skies and drizzle, she said.

They voiced their concerns, but were allegedly reassured that everything was safe and that the weather was unpredictable.

As the tour had already been paid for and could not be cancelled, the family proceeded.

Aminah confirmed she was the one who booked the tour, after finding the company through recommendations and social media.

She added that she had also conducted her own online research before making the booking.

The company, she said, was BAP Tour & Travel.

Prior to the trip, Aminah said the tour guide had been friendly, responsive and easy to communicate with, which gave her confidence in choosing the package.

However, she said the family did not expect to be transported on speedboats from the kelong restaurant, as they assumed they would be using a larger boat similar to the one that had brought them from the mangrove entrance.

“However, since we were already at the kelong restaurant, we had no choice but to proceed with the speedboats,” she added.

According to her, two boats departed ahead of them, while their boat was the last to leave. Theirs was also the smallest of the three.

There were 10 people on board — eight family members, including a child and a six-month-old baby, as well as a boat operator and a tour guide.

Speaking to Berita Harian (BH), another relative who was part of the trip, Sharifah Shafiqah Syed Ezzat, said they only found out after the incident that the boat could only carry up to eight people.

Weather worsened during tour

About 20 minutes into the journey, after the boat entered the mangrove area, the weather suddenly worsened.

Heavy rain began pouring down, forcing the boat to turn back.

At around 3:15pm, while the boat was heading back, rainwater had accumulated inside the boat.

According to Aminah, the boat driver was attempting to scoop water out while continuing to travel at high speed.

Shafiqah's husband, Sayyid Muhammad Fariid Syed Amzah Alsagoff, also claimed that the boatman had been driving at a fast speed despite the heavy rain and strong currents.

The operator then allegedly accelerated around a corner, before the boat “lost control and flipped over” within seconds.

She said that it was dark under the boat, and the saltwater made it painful to open their eyes.

“We had to feel our way along the sides of the boat to find an escape route, as the boat was too heavy to lift."

According to BH, Fariid saw only murky green water — with no sense of direction, light or air.

Father trapped underwater with baby

Fariid and his six-month-old baby remained trapped underneath the boat for around 40 to 50 seconds before escaping, Aminah told Mothership.

He tried to swim upward but hit the boat, which blocked his access to air.

Holding his daughter with one hand, he felt along the side of the boat with his other hand before finding its edge and diving out.

He said to BH: “I was only trapped for about 10 to 15 seconds, but it felt like the longest moment of my life."

“I wasn’t thinking about anything else. I just wanted to save my child and myself.”

Aminah also told Mothership that her brother and nine-year-old niece were trapped beneath the boat for nearly five minutes.

She added:

“My brother later shared that they were gasping for air and that my niece was close to losing consciousness underwater."

Elsewhere, Fariid and his baby daughter were swept away from the rest of the group.

Fariid had fought to stay afloat while holding the baby with one arm and searching for something to grab onto with the other.

Eventually, the group swam to a mangrove area about two minutes away, then clung to the roots and branches in heavy rain for around 45 minutes.

They were later rescued by another boat at around 4pm, carrying other family members.

Alleged lack of license and missing life jacket whistles

Aminah alleged that the life jackets provided lacked emergency whistles or other safety features, except for one life jacket belonging to her niece, which had a whistle attached.

Fariid also said that all passengers except his baby daughter had been wearing life jackets, as there was no infant size available.

What shocked the family further was what they allegedly discovered after the incident.

When questioned at the drop-off point, two individuals operating the boat allegedly admitted that they did not have a proper boat operating licence or practical training, and had only experience.

The family was also aghast to find out that the tour guide allegedly could not swim.

“This made us feel that our lives had been placed at unnecessary risk, especially considering that they were responsible for ensuring the safety of passengers,” Aminah said. “Ultimately, the passengers had to rely largely on one another for survival."

The police later recorded the family’s statements and conducted investigations, which required them to remain at the location for about two more hours.

The family also claimed they were offered 45 million rupiah (S$3,200) in compensation, which the family said was not enough to cover half the value of their lost items.

Aminah told Mothership that they estimated their losses at around S$8,000.

"Could have easily ended as a tragedy"

Despite the ordeal, all eight Singaporeans survived, with only minor injuries and scratches.

Aminah said the purpose of sharing the incident was not to seek compensation or “bring them down”, but to call for accountability.

She said the outcome could have been much worse, given the conditions and wildlife known to inhabit the area.

She wrote:

“No family should have to endure what we went through. No parent should have to watch their child struggle for air beneath an overturned boat. No infant should have to be carried through raging currents while waiting for rescue.”

Fariid and Shafiqah, speaking to BH, stressed the importance of complying with boat capacity limits and ensuring complete safety equipment is available for people of all ages.

“We are beyond grateful that every single member of our family made it home alive,” Aminah wrote.

“But this could have easily ended as a tragedy.”

A celebrity dog in China was allegedly stolen, sold, and slaughtered to the despair of its owner, a travel influencer.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the eight-year-old border collie, Chutou, was known for its intelligence and gentle temperament.

Guo, the owner of Chutou, had left his pet at home with his parents while he went on a solo road trip to Georgia.

On May 11, Guo's father realised Chutou had gone missing from the family's fields and surveillance footage showed two strangers taking the dog away on an electric bike.

Guo located the man accused of stealing Chutou and is now seeking justice for his dog, despite facing roadblocks in China's legal protections for pets.

Cut short trip to search for pet

In 2018, Guo bought Chutou, then a three-month-old puppy, for over 2,000 yuan (S$380) from a street vendor, reported SCMP.

Guo brought Chutou on his journeys across China, which was documented on Chinese social media and was also posted to YouTube.

According to SCMP, their Chinese social media accounts amassed over 1.5 million followers.

Stopped holidaying, searched for dog

After Chutou went missing, Guo cut short his trip and returned home to search for his dog.

On May 26, Guo found the man accused of stealing Chutou and offered 10,000 yuan (S$1,900) to return his dog.

However, the man claimed he thought Chutou was a stray and said Chutou followed him after being called.

Guo retorted that his pet was resting on his family's farm, wearing a collar and a tracker.

Sold to a dog meat restaurant

The alleged thief told Guo that he had sold Chutou to a dog meat restaurant for 180 yuan (S$34) and that it had been eaten.

According to SCMP, the alleged thief made no apology and the man reportedly said: "The dog is dead, so stop making a fuss. I did not break the law."

Guo also confronted the restaurant worker who had slaughtered his pet, hoping to recover his remains or fur, but was told his pet's remains had been thrown in the trash long ago.

Guo reported the case to the Chinese police and submitted evidence of Chutou's market value, in hopes that criminal charges could be enforced.

No companion animal protection laws in China

According to SCMP, which quoted a Sichuan-based lawyer who spoke to Chinese media, theft cases can only be pursued criminally if the stolen property is valued at more than 2,000 yuan (S$380).

The alleged thief can face a charge carrying up to three years in prison, if Chutou's value is established.

SCMP reported that lawyers said Guo can seek compensation for direct losses, but the commercial value of his pet as a celebrity dog and his emotional loss may prove hard to ascertain.

China has no companion animal protection laws, and such disputes are often settled through civil compensation.

While there is no nationwide ban on dog meat, dogs have been excluded from China's livestock catalogue since 2020, and cities such as Shenzhen and Zhuhai have banned the consumption of dogs and cats.

A traffic accident involving a car and a motorcycle occurred along the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) towards the East Coast Parkway (ECP) after Buangkok East Drive on the morning of Jun. 4.

In a video provided by a Mothership reader, a red and black motorcycle can be seen lying on its side on the expressway, with at least one police car at the scene.

According to the Mothership reader, a stationary black car could be also be seen near the motorcyle.

In a separate clip, a person can be seen lying on the road, with a police officer kneeling over them.

Two other individuals are seen standing close by.

In a statement, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said it was alerted to the accident at about 9:45am.

A 42-year-old male motorcyclist was conveyed conscious to hospital.

A 43-year-old male car driver has been arrested on suspicion of careless driving causing grievous hurt.

Police investigations are ongoing.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it was alerted to the accident at about 9:50am and conveyed one person to Changi General Hospital.

A Malaysian woman flying from Kunming, China, to Johor, Malaysia found herself facing a long queue at the airport security with only about 10 minutes left to check in for her flight.

To her surprise, travellers in the queue, who she said mostly held Malaysia and Singapore passports, kindly made way to let her go to the front when they understood her situation.

The woman later posted a photo of the boarding gate on Facebook, suggesting that she was eventually able to catch her flight scheduled for departure at 2:20am.

"Satu Malaysia [One Malaysia]," she wrote. "Turns out it is not just a slogan, but is the spirit of strangers willing to make way for you when you need help most."

The kindness of strangers

In her Jun. 1 Facebook post, user Maggie Ho explained that she had just made it to the airport in the nick of time due to some unforeseen circumstances.

The sight of the long security check queue made her anxious about missing her flight.

When she saw the people in front of her holding Malaysia passports, she decided to ask them if they were catching the same flight as her.

They said they were not. When they learnt the check-in time of her flight, they appeared even more anxious than her.

"Quick, you go ahead," they told her. "You can't miss your flight."

Their kindness did not stop there.

They explained Ho's situation to the people in front of them, and these people passed on the message further down, telling everyone to let Ho pass through first to catch her flight.

"The queue had Chinese and Indian people, most of them Malaysians, and a few friends from Singapore," Ho recalled. "We did not know each other, yet they would help a stranger."

One person also reminded her with concern to tell the security staff about her rushing to catch her flight.

She eventually passed dozens of people to get to the very front of the queue.

Thankful

Ho was deeply moved by the warmth and kindness she received.

"Although I was in a foreign country, I was met with not coldness, but the helping hands of people I had never met," she said.

Before leaving the security check area, she turned and bowed to the group of people in gratitude.

"They only smiled and nodded their heads," she said, "then waved to tell me to quickly board my flight."

A 27-year-old domestic worker was sentenced to 10 months’ jail after stealing S$17,000 from her employer’s children aged 11 and 12, to fund her online gambling addiction.

The domestic worker, Mai Aye Su Naing, pleaded guilty to the offences on Jun. 3, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Gambling

According to charge sheets seen by Mothership, Mai worked at a house in Queen Astrid Park.

She reportedly began working for the family in March 2025.

According to Zaobao, Mai came across an online slot machine game on Facebook in early February.

After downloading the game, she discovered that she needed to top up her account using Myanmar money.

This led her to consider stealing cash from her employer’s children.

Theft

She found a blue box containing cash and a key in a drawer in one of the children's rooms.

After opening the box, she stole S$1,000 and met a man who helped her convert the money into Myanmar currency.

She deposited it into her gaming account, but quickly lost all her funds.

To recover her losses, she stole two more times over the next two days.

Several days later, she stole another S$4,600.

She subsequently discovered six red packets containing a total of S$6,000.

To avoid suspicion, she left S$100 in each packet and took the remaining S$5,400.

According to court documents, the amount stolen totalled S$17,000.

After each occasion of theft, she met the same man to exchange the stolen money for gaming funds.

Mai claimed that her gambling account was eventually frozen.

This prevented her from withdrawing funds.

Mai said she won money on three occasions but was never able to cash out her winnings.

Discovery

On Feb. 27 at about 9:30 pm, the children discovered that their money was missing.

Their mother questioned Mai, who then admitted to stealing the money.

Mai was subsequently arrested.

Premeditated

The prosecution said Mai had premeditated the offences and abused the trust placed in her by her employer’s children, and committed six thefts within a month.

She has also made no restitution.

Mai pleaded for leniency and said she knew she had committed a mistake.

She hoped to apologise to her employer’s family.

She added that due to her family's poverty, she was unable to make compensation and hoped to return to Myanmar as soon as possible.

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.