Uncle Thien, the elderly man known for making intricate portraits out of twigs in Pek Kio, has passed away.

He was 83 years old.

For years, Uncle Thien was seen making art on the concrete pavement in Pek Kio every day.

Pek Kio's Uncle Thien had been unwell

In a Jul. 2 tribute post, Tanjong Pagar GRC Member of Parliament Alvin Tan wrote on Instagram about the passing of Uncle Thien.

"Many of us will be familiar with Uncle Thien, Pek Kio's famous 'stick artist' who used to create wonderful works of art on concrete," Tan wrote.

"Uncle Thien was happiest doing that," he continued.

Tan shared that the 83-year-old had been unwell recently and passed away on Jul. 1.

"We will miss him," Tan wrote at the end of his tribute.

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Alvin Tan (@alvinshtan)

Tan first posted about Uncle Thien in 2020.

News of Uncle Thien's passing was also posted to the Facebook group "Heritage SG Memories", where photos of the elderly's twig art were often shared.

Details of Uncle Thien's wake were shared by his nephew on Facebook, with many commenters expressing their condolences on the post.

His cortege will depart for Mandai Crematorium on Jul. 4.

Here's a video of Uncle Thien:

Workers' Party (WP) Aljunied GRC Member of Parliament (MP) Kenneth Tiong has called out a Facebook post which claimed that he and his fellow Aljunied GRC MPs, Pritam Singh and Gerald Giam, only hold Meet-the-People sessions (MPS) twice a month.

He clarified that the three MPs have four MPS a month on either Mondays or Wednesdays.

Falsehood: Kenneth Tiong

In a Jul. 2 Facebook post, Tiong noted that a Facebook page called "Singapore Matters" had claimed that Pritam Singh, Gerald Giam and himself only hold MPS twice a month.

"This is false," Tiong wrote.

He went on to clarify that all three WP Aljunied MPs hold MPS four times a month across two locations to "better serve the estates under our care".

Tiong also listed the timings and the alternate addresses for the MPS under each WP parliamentarian.

According to his post, the WP MPs conduct their MPS on the first four Mondays or Wednesdays of the month, from 7:30pm to 9:30pm.

Tiong explained that there are no sessions on public holidays or on the fifth Monday or Wednesday of the month.

"Residents deserve accurate information. We serve our residents faithfully, week after week," Tiong concluded.

WP MPS details are also listed on their website.

Original "Singapore Matters" post deleted

The original post on the "Singapore Matters" page has since been deleted.

The page posted an update about an hour after Tiong's post, noting that they have removed the original post after being alerted about the WP MPs' MPS schedules.

"We will do a fresh post tomorrow to correct the error," the post read.

According to a screenshot of the original "Singapore Matters" post shared by Tiong, the post made a comparison to the frequencies of MPS between PAP and WP MPs, claiming that the three named WP MPs only hold their MPS twice a month.

The pilot who flew his plane into Beijing's tallest skyscraper on Jun. 26 was a 66-year-old male local resident who had expressed suicidal thoughts, China authorities said on Jul. 2, CNN reported.

This was the first time local authorities had shared details of the incident, where a small plane crashed into the side of the 109-storey CITIC Tower in Beijing.

Deviated from flight path

According to CNN, the pilot, identified only by his surname Liu, took off from a general aviation airport in northeastern Beijing on Friday afternoon.

He first obtained his pilot license in 2021.

He initially flew with a companion in a domestically-manufactured two-seater aircraft, then flew solo and deviated from the designated flight path.

He lost contact with the airport before striking the 528m- tall CITIC Tower in Beijing's Central Business District.

Self-employed divorcê who lived alone

Officials cited multiple references in Liu's diary about "ending [his] life", CNN wrote, saying that he was a self-employed divorcé.

Liu lived alone and suffered from chronic insomnia and anxiety.

Investigators concluded that the incident was a case of endangering public safety caused by personal reasons, CNN reported.

13 people were injured, but none suffered life-threatening conditions.

One has already been discharged, the authorities said.

Helplines

If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

National mindline.sg Hotline: 1771 (24 hours)

National mindline.sg WhatsApp: 66691771 (24 hours)

SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

Centre for Domestic Employees: 1800 225 5233 (24 hours)

Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training: 1800 339 4357 (24 hours)

HOME (migrant worker): +65 6341 5535 (WhatsApp / Viber / SMS)

HOME (domestic worker): +65 9787 3122 (WhatsApp / SMS / Call)

SHECARES@SCWO: Call: 8001 01 4616 | WhatsApp: 8985 5528 (For targets of online harms)

National Anti-Violence and Sexual Harassment Helpline (NAVH): 1800-777-0000

A 33-year-old woman was a couple of mouthfuls into her takeaway bak chor mee when she found what appeared to be a dead baby cockroach in her food.

Speaking to Mothership, the woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said she had bought the meal from Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodles at Crawford Lane on Jun. 9.

"Thank God I was looking at my food if not I would have probably eaten it," she said.

She added that she is five months pregnant.

While she has not felt unwell or experienced any physical discomfort since her meal, she reported the incident to the store and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).

"This was just so gross and a testament to their hygiene standards," she said.

She said she has since received a refund from the store.

Non-compliance: SFA

In response to Mothership's queries, SFA said that it had inspected the food establishment and taken enforcement actions for the non-compliance found.

"The food operator was reminded to ensure its premises are clean and well-maintained and its food handlers adhere to good food safety practices," said SFA.

The agency added that food safety is a joint responsibility, requiring both regulation and enforcement on SFA's part, and adherence to proper hygiene practices by food operators.

Members of the public who have concerns about food safety practices by food operators should report it to SFA via the online feedback form.

The agency added: "SFA takes a serious view towards food safety and will investigate all feedback alleging poor food safety practices.

"As part of the enquiry and gathering of evidence, SFA may engage the feedback provider for more details and will not hesitate to take enforcement action if sufficient evidence has been obtained."

Mothership has reached out to Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodles for more information.

Just over two weeks ago, on Jun. 17, U.S. President Donald Trump signed into effect a 60-day ceasefire with Iran along with its corresponding 14-point list detailing the framework guiding further negotiations.

From the moment the Memorandum of Understanding/Ceasefire was signed, there have been troubles.

Less than five days after the signing, Iran had re-closed the Strait of Hormuz, and Israel was attacking targets in Lebanon.

Ever since then, Iran has been accused of attacking shipping that was not following its unilateral directions in the Strait, including a Singapore-flagged vessel, and the U.S. has retaliated by striking targets in Iran.

But talks about a final peace settlement continue, although as recently as Jun. 30, Iran refused to speak to the U.S.'s main negotiators, as reported by The Hill, although meetings with lower level officials continued.

So, moderate expectations I guess

The question of whether Trump has lost or won is ultimately a political one.

It’s worth starting with the question: "did Iran win?"

Because since Feb. 28, it has lost a swath of its senior leadership, including Ali Khamenei, the Ayatollah of Iran.

Al Jazeera reported in April that it has endured US$270 billion in war losses, both military and to its key energy exporting infrastructure.

Under most circumstances, one might classify this experience as a loss; Donald Trump certainly thinks so.

In fact, as shown by The Guardian, he has declared victory “dozens of times”, as early as 10 days after the start, when he said that the war was “very complete”.

So why doesn’t this feel like a victory for the U.S.?

The U.S. has lost at least 13 military lives, lost hundreds of millions in destroyed equipment, and spent billions on munitions, and may have irreparably damaged its relationships with several Middle Eastern allies.

All in order to return with a deal that is strikingly close to one that Trump rejected in 2017, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Inspections and sanctions

The JCPOA was a wide-ranging deal restricted Iran’s nuclear weapons development by using the United Nations’ IAEA inspectors to monitor Iran’s nuclear sites, including critical military sites, verified by not just the U.S., but European states, Russia, and China.

In return the U.S. would release to Iran US$180 billion of Iran’s money that the U.S. had been holding up.

It would also release Iran from the sanctions targeting its energy sector, something that the new MoU seems to be gearing towards.

The current MoU also calls for inspections, but with no clear outline of an inspection regime, and only 60 days to negotiate, compared to the several years the JCPOA had.

Furthermore, Trump has committed to develop, along with regional partners, a definitive, mutually agreed plan with at least US$300 billion for the “reconstruction and economic development” of Iran.

Trump posted on Truth Social that the U.S. will contribute “not ten cents” to that reconstruction fund and that it is an opportunity for regional partners to invest in Iran.

But it remains to be seen whether those regional partners will take him up on that and whether the U.S. will be compelled to make up any shortfall.

Strait talk

Finally, there is the Strait of Hormuz, which Trump says will return to its pre-war state.

But as his fiercest critics will point out, Trump was the one who altered the status quo, having decided to go to war when he could not ensure the Strait would remain open, even not having deployed vital equipment like minesweeping ships to the region.

Worryingly, Iran appears to be suggesting that ships might be charged a fee, not a toll, leaving avenues for future conflict.

Trump's own comments on the deal hint at capitulation, even if he does not acknowledge, or realise, it.

After signing the MoU in the Palace of Versailles on the sidelines of the G7 summit, an ironic stage if ever there was one, he said that his motivation was to avoid "economic catastrophe, as reported by Reuters.

Trump said that failure to reach a deal might spark a new "Great Depression", and would make him this generation's "Herbert Hoover", suggesting that economic concerns had trumped others in his mind, at least for now.

Criticism

The plan was not popular in the U.S. or in its co-belligerent Israel.

At home

It goes without saying that Trump’s Democratic opponent criticised the plan in detail, not least of all former U.S. President Barack Obama, who said that after 15 weeks of war, “the U.S. was worse off” and “back where we started”, as reported by The Guardian.

He criticised Trump’s 2017 decision to pull out of the agreement, saying that Trump’s decision had caused Iran to develop more nuclear capacity.

Perhaps more stark is criticism from Trump supporters within the Republican party, such as Texan senator Ted Cruz.

Cruz, who was not a fan of the JCPOA, also rebuked Trump on his own deal, saying that “giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is an exceptionally bad idea,” and rejected sending any money to Iran.

Senator Bill Cassidy of Louisiana said Iran’s nuclear ambitions were not curbed, and called the war and the MoU the “worst foreign policy blunder in decades”.

One of the clearest signs of Republican dissent to Trump is that on Jun. 24 the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and Senate voted with Democrats to approve a measure demanding that Trump halt the war in Iran or seek congressional approval before continuing military action, as reported by the BBC.

And abroad

Perhaps the most telling is Israel’s own reaction.

An Axios report describes Netanyahu as fuming, no doubt because he had previously promised the Israeli public total victory in Iran and will soon be facing an election in a situation where his popularity is already very low.

It also suggests a rift has emerged between the U.S. and Israel, with other partners such as the United Arab Emirates signalling support for the MoU.

Trump has repeatedly criticised Israel for its conduct of war in Lebanon, especially continuing to fight after he had said it should stop.

A final deal will force Israel to abandon its conflict with the openly hostile Hezbollah, leading Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid to say that the MoU represents an absolute failure, as reported by the Times of Israel.

Iran, for its part, has declared that the MoU is a significant victory on its part, but it was always likely to spin any final result in that way.

Scale of disappointment

The reason why Trump’s agreement is being viewed as a failure is more than just direct comparisons between a completely negotiated JCPOA and an as-yet incomplete negotiation for the end of this current war.

It is a reflection of Trump’s own allies’ reaction to the agreement.

Traditionally, Trump’s allies have chosen flattery to remain on his good side. To see them do anything but might highlight the scale of their disappointment.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group chief executive officer, Goh Choon Phong, received a remuneration of nearly S$9.7 million in total for the last financial year ending Mar. 31.

This comes as the SIA Group recorded its highest-ever revenue of S$20.5 billion and carried a record 42.2 million passengers.

According to SIA's Annual Report for Financial Year (FY) 2025/26, Goh's remuneration comprised 15 per cent in base salary, 35 per cent in bonuses, 49 per cent in shares, and 1 per cent in benefits.

In the previous financial year, Goh received around S$7 million.

Conditional shares

Goh's base salary was S$1.456 million, and his total pay includes conditional shares awarded in July 2025 for SIA's performance in the 2024/25 financial year.

The share-based scheme is a long-term initiative introduced during Covid-19 to retain and incentivise key executives.

According to the report, the final tranche of shares was distributed in July 2025 to acknowledge SIA's senior management's efforts in ensuring the airline's full recovery from the pandemic.

The overlap of the final award and other grants under SIA's other share plans resulted in a temporary spike in share-based compensation in the latest financial year.

Other executives & directors

SIA Group Chief Commercial Officer Lee Lik Hsin and chief operations officer Tan Kai Ping received remuneration of around S$3.75 million to S$4 million, including the July 2025 strategic share award.

Their salaries could be broken down into 18 per cent in base salary, 39 per cent in bonuses, 41 per cent in shares and 2 per cent in benefits.

Scoot Chief Executive Officer Leslie Thng Kan Chung also received remuneration of between S$2.75 million and S$3 million.

Non-executive directors received remuneration of around S$160,000 and S$824,000.

The non-executive director with the highest pay was SIA chairman Peter Seah Lim Huat, who was given S$824,610.

The report said the compensation committee and board consider the resulting total compensation for key executives was "appropriate and not excessive, given the efforts and dedication of the Senior Management in managing the airline in a post-Covid operating environment".

Increased macroeconomic uncertainty amidst geopolitical tensions

In Seah's letter to shareholders, he said that "the airline industry faced rising geopolitical tensions, macroeconomic uncertainty, and continued supply chain disruptions".

"Towards the end of the financial year, the onset of the Middle East conflict resulted in a sharp increase in the price of jet fuel – the SIA Group’s biggest expenditure item – alongside higher inflationary costs and greater operational uncertainty."

However, Seah noted demand for air travel remained strong, and passenger numbers increased by 7.7 per cent from the year before.

He added: "The group's nimble response to the Middle East conflict bucked the broader industry trend of shrinking capacity and networks".

SIA Group's operating profit rose 39 per cent to S$2.4 billion, supported by higher yields and lower full-year net fuel costs.

Net profit fell 57.4 per cent

In his letter, Seah also noted that net profit fell 57.4 per cent to S$1.2 billion.

This was mainly attributed to the absence of the previous year's S$1.1 billion non-cash accounting gain from the Air India and Vistara merger and the group's share of full-year losses from Air India.

Seah said that "Air India faces well-publicised headwinds", but reiterated that SIA Group's 25.1 per cent stake in the enlarged Air India Group provides them with a direct stake in one of the world's largest aviation markets.

He added: "There has been progress in Air India’s long-term transformation journey despite these challenges".

A woman in Singapore, whose flat was undergoing the Housing and Development Board's (HDB) Home Improvement Programme (HIP), said she discovered holes in the wall of a temporary bathroom while showering, prompting her to file a police report over safety concerns.

Two holes found

According to Shin Min Daily News, the incident took place at Block 536 Serangoon North Avenue 4.

The woman said she noticed two holes in the bathroom wall at about chest height while showering one evening.

Upon closer inspection, she realised she could see through them.

She said she tried to plug one of the holes with wet toilet paper when, suddenly, someone allegedly inserted a stone-like object through the other hole from outside the cubicle.

Startled, she said she banged on the partition and shouted for the person to stop, after which the other hole was also plugged from the outside.

Concerned for her safety, the woman said she did not dare to continue showering.

She quickly rinsed off before leaving the cubicle to inspect the area behind it and call the police.

When Shin Min visited the site, they found that the holes had been sealed.

One resident in the same block said she had chosen not to use the temporary bathroom as she found it inconvenient, and opted to stay with her parents instead while her home was undergoing renovations.

Another resident said she saw workers inspecting the temporary bathroom cubicles on Jun. 20 and overheard them saying they were checking for holes.

HDB's response

In response to queries from Shin Min, HDB said it had received feedback that two holes had been found in the wall of a temporary bathroom cubicle.

Investigations found that the holes had originally been drilled to install a soap holder.

The contractor had relocated the soap holder following feedback from residents, but the holes left behind were not sealed immediately as required.

HDB said it received feedback about the holes on Jun. 19 and the contractor sealed them the following morning.

It added that the area behind the temporary bathroom facilities is fenced off and kept locked, with access restricted to authorised personnel.

Security officers also conduct regular patrols throughout the day.

HDB said contractors are required to seal any holes immediately after replacing fixtures such as clothes racks, shower heads or handrails in temporary bathroom facilities.

The board said the contractor responsible for the HIP has since contacted affected residents to explain the investigation findings and follow-up measures.

These include adopting residents' suggestions to install CCTV cameras at the entrances and exits of the fenced-off area.

HDB stressed that residents' safety is its top priority, and that contractors who fail to comply with operating procedures may face penalties such as fines.

Contractors have also been reminded that any holes created during construction must be sealed immediately and that temporary bathroom facilities should be inspected daily.

A man, who was sentenced to life imprisonment and permanent deprivation of political rights for suffocating his five-year-old son to death while drunk, sent his ex-wife a letter threatening to kill her entire family from a detention centre in Keelung, Taiwan.

The incident occurred on Jun. 1, about a year after the man, surnamed Jian, killed his son in May 2025, Taiwan media reported.

Letter

The contents of the letter, which was written in Chinese, contained threats directed at Jian’s ex-wife, who is the mother of the child who died, and her family.

He alleged that her siblings “talked nonsense” during his hearing.

Jian also apparently knew that the prosecution had appealed for the death penalty.

This was after Jian was sentenced to life imprisonment, but had been ready to be executed.

“You'd better pray to your ancestors that it succeeds,” he wrote in the letter.

Jian added that the judge did not let his family “hold a funeral”.

“After I get out, I know exactly where every one of your family members lives. I will definitely exterminate your family. If you don't believe me, just wait and see. Ha ha ha,” he concluded.

The letter bore Jian’s signature.

Criticised

When Jian’s ex-wife received the threatening letter, it reportedly alarmed her family.

They also criticised the detention centre for allowing the letter to be sent.

The detention centre issued a statement expressing condolences to the family and condemning Jian’s action.

It explained that its correspondence inspection procedures are strictly carried out in accordance with detention laws in Taiwan.

To protect detainees' right to confidential communication, detention centre personnel inspect detainees' letters for concealed prohibited items unless they meet specific statutory conditions, which Jian had not previously met.

The content of their letters may not be read word-for-word by law.

The detention centre claimed that when the letter was sent, it appeared completely normal, and it contained no prohibited items.

There was apparently no way to know its content in advance.

Jian has been transferred to another detention facility under tightened supervision.

Suffocation

In May 2025, Jian was reportedly unhappy that his ex-wife wanted to file for divorce and was seeking custody over their children.

When the pair argued, he reportedly pushed her, causing her to fall onto the ground.

She later lodged a police report and applied for a personal protection order.

While waiting for the protection order to be issued, she wanted to take their son back to her parents' home.

However, Jian had already picked him up from school and dropped him off at his ex-wife's parents' home.

While his five-year-old son was taking a nap, he was reportedly drinking alcohol.

He then suffocated the boy with a pillow before fleeing the scene and driving off while still under the influence.

Sentencing

Jian was sentenced to life imprisonment and permanent deprivation of political rights in April 2026 for the offence.

According to Jian’s ex-wife's brother, Jian told the judge that he wanted to be sentenced to death and “will not appeal”.

He purportedly showed remorse during sentencing.

However, Jian's attitude apparently changed after the victim's family and the prosecution appealed against the sentencing.

At least eight Buddhist monks were killed, with about 10 injured, seven of them critically, after a pickup truck crashed into a religious procession on Jul. 2, reported Thairath Online.

The latest figures were provided by Thai police.

The incident occurred at around 12pm on a roadside in the Mueang district, according to Khaosod English.

Thairath Online reported that the victims were among 35 monks on a walking pilgrimage in Thailand's Mukdahan province.

Allegedly drove without permission

Local police said that an 11-year-old boy allegedly took his parents' pickup truck without permission before losing control of the vehicle, ploughing into the procession.

Breaking: A car has crashed into a group of 30 Buddhist monks while they were on a pilgrimage walk.

The incident occurred on Na Si Nuan Road in Don Tan District.

Preliminary reports indicate:

Five monks have died.

Two monks are in critical condition.

Several others were… pic.twitter.com/9z2d0MpyCD

— Pure Guava (@pureguava10300) July 2, 2026

Monks were seen lying across the road and roadside.

According to Khaosod English, five monks were pronounced dead at the scene, while three others later died in the hospital.

Emergency personnel transported the other injured monks to nearby hospitals for urgent medical treatment.

Police have since detained the boy to investigate the circumstances surrounding the collision.

Investigations are currently ongoing.

A man who claims to be Singaporean has drawn backlash after he posted a video of himself pumping RON95 fuel in Malaysia while flashing a red passport.

The clip was posted by Threads user @theblackspice on Jun. 30, with the caption:

"How to piss off Malaysians as a Singaporean. Step one. Steal their petrol."

In the video, the individual holds up what appears to be a Singaporean passport while he fills up the tank with gas.

The camera then pans to the fuel dispenser, which reads "Premium 95".

RON95 is a government-subsidised fuel in Malaysia generally reserved for Malaysia-registered vehicles.

Drivers of foreign-registered vehicles are required to use unsubsidised fuels such as RON97 or RON100 instead.

Backlash from both sides of the Causeway

The post quickly drew criticism from Malaysians and Singaporeans alike.

One user said: “How to know a poor Singaporean. Step one. Can't afford to buy gas petrol at their own country.”

Another user said they would report the matter to the relevant authorities.

Some users were sceptical about the stunt, with one suggesting the person had simply rented a car in Johor Bahru to pump RON95, and was flashing a Singaporean passport for attention.

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