The Rapid Transit System (RTS) Link service between Singapore and Johor Bahru (JB), Malaysia, will open for passenger service two months after its original estimated date of commencement.

This has pushed plans for an end-2026 start to February 2027.

This is despite all system tests and trial runs estimated to be completed by Dec. 31, 2026.

But this further two-month wait is perhaps not much in the grand scheme of things.

One last hurdle

After taking over 16 years to come to fruition, the 4km project now faces a last hurdle — the safety certification from an independent safety assessor.

RTS Operations (RTSO), a company formed through a joint venture between Malaysia and Singapore, needs to do so before proceeding, according to a joint statement by Singapore's Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Malaysia's Ministry of Transport (MOT).

In a Facebook post on Oct. 3, Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Finance, Jeffrey Siow, said the authorities are aiming to start services before Hari Raya in 2027: "The plan was for safety certification and licensing to have been completed before the end of this year, but it was not to be."

"On our part, my colleagues at LTA have worked hard to make sure our station is ready for the start of cross-border train services," he added.

RTSO & its grantors both stressed safety

There were two press releases for the delay announcement, both assuring the public that safety was of utmost concern.

The first was from RTSO, of which Malaysian public transport firm Prasarana holds a 52 per cent share, and Singapore rail operator SMRT has the remaining 48 per cent stake.

The company was appointed to operate and sustain the RTS Link for 30 years.

"Our goal is to provide a safe and reliable service on the RTS link," the RTSO statement read.

The second was a joint release from the RTSO’s grantors, LTA and Malaysia's MOT, the authorities that grant RTSO the right to operate.

According to the joint release, the grantors' responsibility includes reviewing certifications and ensuring testing and commissioning activities are satisfactory to "facilitate the smooth and safe delivery of the project".

The authorities also maintained that infrastructure works were substantially complete and on track for passenger service, with the caveat of the RTSO obtaining independent safety certifications for the RTS link.

Years of development

Besides the convenience, reduced Causeway congestion, and economic benefits the RTS Link brings, public anticipation also stems from the project's drawn-out timeline.

Woodlands Checkpoint is one of the world's busiest land border crossings, with over 300,000 people travelling across it daily.

Key RTS developments were regularly announced at the annual Singapore-Malaysia leaders' retreats, with both countries' leaders using the platform to release updates in 2010, 2015, and 2016.

According to CNA, Singapore and Malaysia embarked on the RTS journey with plans being committed to and discussed since the May 2010 leaders' retreat.

The 2013 LTA master plan was drafted with the intention of integrating the Thomson Line, now the Thomson-East Coast Line, with the RTS Link.

The plan also noted that a joint engineering study's first phase was finished.

In 2015, at the retreat, then-prime minister Lee Hsien Loong declared that Woodlands North would be the Singapore side RTS Link terminus.

Malaysia announced its Johor Bahru Bukit Chagar terminus at the next year's retreat.

Delays

Bilateral agreements for the RTS Link were signed in January 2018, with both countries reaffirming their commitment to an end-2024 target for passenger service.

However, plans were disrupted after Malaysia's Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance won the Malaysia general election on May 9, 2018.

This historic move ended the Barisan Nasional (BN) reign, which at the time was one of the world's longest ruling coalitions, according to Reuters.

BN and its predecessor, the Alliance Party, had ruled Malaysia since the Federation of Malaya's freedom from British rule in 1957.

At the time, the PH was pushing for a spending curb.

The coalition was alarmed by national debt and said it wanted to review the cost of building the RTS link, reported Malay Mail.

According to New Straits Times, Malaysia's debt stood at RM1.09 trillion (around S$363.3 billion at the time) at the end of 2018, and there were also concerns over debt and liabilities from the fallout of the 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB) scandal.

A year later in 2019, Singapore's former Transport Minister Khaw Boon Wan said the RTS Link had missed milestones and was "behind schedule".

CNA reported that the project was suspended from April 2019 to July 2020.

After resuming, the targeted start date was pushed to the end of 2026.

Moving forward

The project was relatively smooth from 2021 to 2025, with construction milestones met.

In June 2025, the trains were unveiled to much fanfare.

Chinese company CRRC Zhuzhou built the trains, with the German conglomerate Siemens supplying signalling and platform screen doors.

By 2026, final preparations were in place, and the first RTS train arrived at Woodlands North in February.

Legislation was passed in May to allow for the co-location of both countries’ CIQ facilities at each station.

Scheduled departure

Now affected by the delay, the RTSO is expected to complete its final system tests and trial runs by Dec. 31, 2026, instead of starting by the originally planned date.

When up and running, the RTS Link's first and last trains would depart from both termini at 6am and 12am daily.

The shortest wait between trains will be 3.6 minutes, and the journey will take around five minutes.

Around 10,000 people will be ferried in each direction for each hour the train operates, reported The Straits Times.

A civil suit against a 39-year-old woman by a late businessman's daughter for taking more than S$1.7 million from him has been dismissed after a High Court judge found that the monies were gifted voluntarily.

Chew Yam Song Peter, who ran the seafood wholesale business Evergreen Seafood, passed away in September 2024 at the age of 73.

His daughter, Chew Boon Fong Angela, who is the executor of his estate, later sued the woman, Sun Beibei, for breach of fiduciary duty and sought to recover S$1,711,000.

According to court transcripts seen by Mothership, Justice Philip Jeyaretnam accepted the defence's argument that the man had wanted to provide for Sun following the deterioration of his cancer.

He noted that Sun came to be the man's primary caregiver as she had been in a romantic relationship with him for a considerable length of time, a fact the defence said was an "open secret" and known by his family.

The point of contestation in the case was S$1.625 million given in the form of signed cheques and a cashier's order, as well as S$86,000 in cash withdrawals made using his bank cards at the elder Chew's instructions.

While the plaintiff side has argued that there was little or no independent corroboration of Sun's testimony of such instructions, the judge noted that six other witnesses had corroborated Sun's case.

Sun was ultimately awarded S$182,500 in legal costs plus nine per cent GST after the case against her was dismissed.

She was also given disbursements agreed at S$10,931.91.

Background

Chew was diagnosed with stage-four colon cancer in December 2022 and was later told he had less than six months to live after the cancer spread to his pancreas and lungs.

Chew's daughter alleged that while Chew was seriously ill between June and September 2024, Sun withdrew and transferred more than S$1.7 million from his bank accounts without his authorisation.

The family argued that Chew was too weak to have made the withdrawals himself and pointed to a will in which he left his savings to his wife and daughter.

The family also alleged that Sun deleted her text message history with Chew after his funeral and admitted to making the withdrawals but did not clearly explain where the money went.

The plaintiff, Chew Boon Fong, Angela, was represented by lawyer Nicholas Narayanan at the closing submissions on Sep. 30.

Narayanan argued that Sun's case ultimately rests on "a series of alleged oral instructions" said to have been given by Chew, with little or no independent corroboration.

Defence's closing submissions

Sun denied the allegations, maintaining that the money was voluntarily given to her by Chew so she would be financially secure after his death.

She also said Chew instructed her to fill in the cheques and, on one occasion, asked her to guide his hand as he signed one.

Two months after Chew's death, Sun used some of the money to purchase an apartment, which she has since rented out.

Sun was represented by Lim Kim Hong, Nadiah Li Feng Binte Mahmood and Maximilian Tay from law firm KIM & CO.

In her closing submissions, Lim argued that there was no evidence to show that Sun had "unduly influenced" the late Chew.

Pointing to testimonies from six other witnesses that demonstrated Chew's desire to provide financial security for Sun, Lim said that this is not a case that the defendant withdrew monies from Chew's account without his knowledge and concealed them.

"This is a woman; she's actually a very simple woman who lived with Peter Chew as his long-term romantic partner, who sacrificed 10 years of the prime of her life without any expectation of reward, in cash or in kind. She cared for him throughout the 10 years and also throughout his terminal illness until his passing," Lim said.

The elder Chew had feared that upon his death Sun would lose her job and would be terminated, and that fear materialised, Lim said.

The company Evergreen Seafood was left to the plaintiff, younger Chew, who terminated Sun from her role as director in the company following the elder Chew's death.

Lim further explained that the property Sun bought was not a "windfall" but rather a home that the elder Chew intended her to have.

She is now renting out the property to sustain herself, Lim said, adding that it is now "all that stands between her and financial ruin".

Narayanan responded to Lim's submission, saying Sun is not a "damsel in distress character" Lim sought to portray.

He pointed to various assets disclosed by Sun, including a property in China, several bank accounts, as well as cash in her hand.

To this, Lim said that Sun had about S$336,741 combined, excluding the property, which is now "all gone".

She had earlier explained that the balance monies that Chew had given Sun had gone into paying for legal costs.

Judgment

In his judgment, Jeyaretnam said the key issue was whether Chew had gifted Sun the money transferred by cheques and a cashier’s order, and withdrawn from ATMs on his alleged instructions.

He said that there is "no doubt" about Chew's mental capacity, noting that he made a will on Aug. 15, 2024 in which he gave his shares in his company, Evergreen Seafood, to his daughter, Angela Chew.

Jeyaretnam said Chew also confirmed his earlier gift of a residential property to his wife in the same will.

The judge also found no evidence that Sun exercised any undue influence over Chew.

"Mr Chew was not isolated from his family or friends. Even when physically frail, he appears to have remained emotionally resilient and self-willed," Jeyaretnam said.

He also accepted that evidence shows that Sun was a devoted caregiver who "shouldered the burden of caregiving, at times virtually single-handedly".

"These facts already provide a reason for why Mr Chew could reasonably have wanted to provide for her after his death," he said.

Sun's own evidence of what Chew said to her and his friends was corroborated by the testimony of six other witnesses, the judge added.

One witness surnamed Lew, a friend of Chew, testified that in or around June 2024, Chew told him that Sun was alone in Singapore and did not have a place to call her own.

Chew had expressed the fear that if her employment were terminated by Evergreen Seafood, she would no longer have any income and would not have anywhere to live, the judge noted.

Lew also testified in court that Chew had said he was thinking of buying a property in Singapore, as well as gifting Sun some monies to support her financially.

This was also corroborated by Yeo Inn Siang, the property agent who testified that Chew told her he would support the purchase of a property and that his budget was S$1.4 million.

She also testified that she told him any loan amount that Sun could obtain would be quite little, and also showed WhatsApp messages between her and Chew that were consistent with her evidence.

Jeyaretnam also noted that Chew made "separate and sufficient provision" for his wife and daughter.

"This also supports the reasonableness, and therefore the likelihood, that Mr Chew would make gifts to Ms Sun, given her care for him," he said.

A photo of a man and child looking into a rubbish bin at night in Singapore has sparked debate online.

The photo was posted to the Complaint Singapore Facebook page on Oct. 3.

The caption of the photo claimed that the pair are a father and son duo, and they were rummaging through the rubbish bin in search of BCRS containers.

BCRS refers to the beverage container return scheme launched on Apr. 1, 2026, where consumers are refunded 10 cents when they return their used eligible cans or bottles at reverse vending machines in Singapore.

What commenters say

The photo drew intense debate among those who responded.

There were a few hundred comments on the post within 16 hours.

The comments section was subsequently closed off.

Among those who commented, a number of them said the image was a heartbreaking sight.

"It seems a common scene nowadays," one commenter remarked.

It was previously reported that some individuals have made at least S$1,000 collecting used bottles and cans that are BCRS-eligible over a few months.

Others advised that the child should at least have used gloves while going through the trash.

Don't be a busybody

However, the majority of commenters who were equally quick to give different takes did not buy the idea that the duo were collecting used cans and bottles out of necessity.

Some said the person taking the photo should mind their own business and not spread rumours about the man and child.

Others said the circumstances of the man and child were not known or provided, and they might be doing it for educational purposes rather than purely for financial gain.

Some other commenters said it could be recreational.

Past reports have shown that children in Singapore have made money by collecting used cans and bottles.

One commenter remarked that there was perhaps a lesson in this exercise for young people, as it showed how difficult it can be to make money.

Another commenter also noted that incentivising recycling appears to work, as people become more mindful of not simply throwing recyclable products away, but instead make the effort to place them in the appropriate collection points.

Persons with intellectual disabilities or autism can expect more tailored healthcare services come 2027, under plans set out by the Taskforce on Assurance for Families with Persons with Disabilities.

Three polyclinics to provide enhanced support for persons with intellectual disabilities, autism

At least three polyclinics in Singapore, with at least one in each healthcare cluster, will be designated by 2028 to provide enhanced support for patients with intellectual disabilities and autism who have more complex needs.

The taskforce noted this group of patients needs more time and support during consultations because of more complex communication, behavioural or healthcare needs.

The accommodations at these polyclinics will include pre-visit preparation with patients and caregivers, longer consultation times where needed, closer caregiver engagement, and help navigating appointments and follow-up care.

Teams will also be able to link patients and caregivers to relevant disability services.

All polyclinics to get basic training

This enhancement is part of a broader move to equip staff in all polyclinics with basic capabilities to support persons with disabilities or autism.

By 2028, all frontline staff will receive training in effective communication with patients with intellectual disabilities and autism and their caregivers.

They will also be trained to provide practical accommodations such as priority queuing, to cut waiting times for patients with behavioural or anxiety-related needs.

Stakeholders had told the taskforce that persons with intellectual disabilities and autism can face communication barriers when dealing with healthcare staff, and that primary care providers do not always understand what they need.

Not as straightforward as it sounds

Speaking at a press conference on Oct. 2, Minister of State for Digital Development and Information and Health Rahayu Mahzam said the changes amount to bigger steps than they might appear.

She said:

"It may sound so straightforward, but actually, if you think about it, what are some of the things that need to be done? If you're talking about someone who perhaps have sensory issues, have difficulties being in crowd, you need to make sure there's proper spaces, there's enough in the polyclinic, to accommodate that."

Longer consultation times raise other issues too, she said: "If we're talking about a polyclinic where people are queuing up and there'll be other patients, how do you meaningfully do that and allow for the services to continue to run, but yet make some certain accommodations?"

Staff training is another consideration.

She said: "You need to have people who are trained to handle some of the difficult situations because they can get quite violent. They can be very challenging. So we also need to provide the proper training and make that capabilities available before we stand this up."

Rahayu said the considerations in picking the polyclinics include accessibility, operational and infrastructural readiness, and anticipated demand.

MOH is studying the SPARk Clinic at Ang Mo Kio as a possible model, she said.

SPARk stands for Supporting PWDs with Accessible Resources and (k)are. These clinics provide chronic care management for adults with disabilities who have higher support needs, and their caregivers.

A passport for communication needs

Separately, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and SG Enable will roll out a Health Communication Passport from 2027, starting at selected polyclinics.

The passport is a personalised document capturing how a person with an intellectual disability or autism communicates, such as whether they prefer verbal or written communication or rely on visual aids, along with the practical accommodations they need.

Participating social service agencies will help clients complete the passport and share it with the polyclinic ahead of appointments, so staff can arrange accommodations in advance.

It will be integrated across key polyclinic touchpoints, including registration and consultation.

The aim is to spare patients and caregivers from having to repeatedly explain the same information at different points in the system.

MOH and SG Enable plan to expand the passport to other healthcare settings over time, with the possibility of covering other disability types.

"In the past when you speak about accessibility, we're thinking of physical accessibility"

Asked about the significance of the healthcare measures, Rahayu said they marked a shift in how accessibility itself is understood.

She said:

"If you think about it, in the past when you speak about accessibility, we're thinking of physical accessibility. Now we're actually understanding that there are many different types of needs and concerns and difficulties, and when we deal with those with intellectual disability and autism, it's less visible and less defined, and we've not had those kind of infrastructure in place in the past."

She said the measures are also about involving patients in their own care: "If we are able to pace our processes around their needs, we can then perhaps understand them a bit better and address their needs a bit better. So this will give them dignity and support in getting healthcare needs."

Caregivers were the other consideration. Rahayu described how difficult it can be to bring a family member to a crowded polyclinic, with some patients affected by noise or long queues, to the point that appointments get skipped altogether.

Part of three key shifts

The healthcare measures are part of three key shifts identified by the taskforce: future planning, meaningful and sustained employment, and meaningful engagement in the community.

"With these shifts, we want to ensure that there are pathways available, so that persons with disabilities and their families no longer experience a “post-18 cliff” after graduation and can lead a meaningful life and pursue their aspirations with greater confidence."

Fees for adult disability services are set to become more affordable soon, under recommendations released by the Taskforce on Assurance for Families with Persons with Disabilities.

For families caring for persons with disabilities, this will provide "greater assurance as they plan for long-term care and support", said the taskforce.

More affordable adult disability services

Firstly, the Ministry of Social and Family Development will implement a cap on fees for disability services, limiting what families pay out of pocket after government subsidies.

Next, there will be more subsidies for disability services.

Means-tested subsidies for adult disability services will rise by at least 10 percentage points for most families, across a wide range of services including day activity centres, Enabling Skills Centres, adult disability hostels, adult disability homes, children disability homes, the Enabling Transport Subsidy and the Taxi Subsidy Scheme.

The subsidy eligibility ceiling will also be raised to a per capita household income of around S$6,000, up from S$4,800 today.

This widens coverage to about eight in 10 households using disability services, from seven in 10 currently.

Lower-income families will pay no more than S$10 for community-based services such as day activity centres.

Lastly, more support will be provided for persons with intellectual disabilities and autism.

Eligibility for four financial support schemes will be expanded by the first quarter of 2027 to explicitly cover persons with intellectual disabilities or autism who have significant care needs.

The schemes are the Home Caregiving Grant, Caregivers Training Grant, Pioneer Generation Disability Assistance Scheme and Migrant Domestic Worker Levy Concession for Persons with Disabilities.

This will go towards defraying their caregiving costs.

Up to 80 per cent reduction in disability-care expenses

These enhancements will go towards reducing the a household's monthly disability-care expenses.

Families of persons with higher support needs can expect their monthly fees for selected services to fall by about 25 per cent to 80 per cent compared to today.

To illustrate, the taskforce cited the example of a four-person family living in an HDB flat with a household income of S$6,000, or S$1,500 per capita, caring for someone with higher support needs.

An adult disability home placement that costs them S$3,500 a month today would drop to S$700.

A day activity centre placement which costs S$210 today will drop to S$40.

For a similar household earning S$13,000, or S$3,250 per capita, an adult disability home fee which costs S$7,000 today will fall to S$1,600.

A S$710 day activity centre fee today will become S$400.

By 2030, the affordability changes are expected to benefit around 5,000 persons with disabilities accessing residential and community disability services.

Why the cost burden adds up

Speaking at the press conference on Oct. 2, Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs and Social and Family Development Goh Pei Ming said the issue of affordability came up repeatedly in the taskforce's engagements:

"Another concern we heard repeatedly from families was affordability... I hope that with the conversations on future care planning, as well as enhancing affordability, we are able to give our families a lot more assurance that their future needs are looked into, and that they are able to make informed decisions when they need to."

The taskforce said disability-related care needs last a lifetime, with recurring costs adding up significantly for families, particularly when caregivers are unable to work full-time.

The report noted that serving persons with the most severe needs under the Enabling Skills for Life Programme can cost more than twice that of persons with the lowest needs.

It said persons with severe disabilities pay higher fees because of the higher cost of providing more support.

One caregiver told the taskforce: "There's no option to plan so we [are] sort of stuck. So, we just live [on] a day-to-day basis."

Several caregivers also said their worries about affordability did not fade over time, but grew as care needs increased.

"They are not quite sure what they don't know"

Goh also said one concern surfaced repeatedly from families is the "post-18 cliff".

He said:

"They ask the question: when they leave SPED school at age 18, what is the next step? They often face uncertainty about finding employment or securing a place in an adult disability service. And in fact, if you think about it, throughout the first 18 years, that is perhaps the first and most major milestone of significant uncertainty."

But the worries did not stop there, he said, extending to what happens if someone wants to change jobs, retire, or if caregiving arrangements change.

He added: "Some of them have also said that they are so overwhelmed with just the day-to-day arrangements, they don't have the capacity to think long term."

Some families relied on chat groups and speaking with other similar families, he said:

"They are not quite sure what they don't know. They're worried that they may have missed a spot, and when they really need something, they may have missed the window to do so."

Part of three key shifts

The affordability measures are part of three key shifts identified by the taskforce: future planning, meaningful and sustained employment, and meaningful engagement in the community.

"With these shifts, we want to ensure that there are pathways available, so that persons with disabilities and their families no longer experience a “post-18 cliff” after graduation and can lead a meaningful life and pursue their aspirations with greater confidence."

Three boys, all aged 16, have been arrested over the alleged murder of a girl, 16, who was their secondary school schoolmate in Yong Peng, Johor, Malaysia.

Irene Sofiya Mohd Khairool Faisal, 16, was found unconscious and covered in blood in the school hall on Oct. 3, Bernama reported.

Johor police chief Ab Rahaman Arsad said she sustained several injuries to her head and body and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Grandmother went to school to look for her

Irene’s grandmother became concerned when she had not returned home by 5:30pm, according to New Straits Times .

Her aunt, Siti Nur Faeza Khyar, told NST that she and Irene’s grandmother went to search for the teenager after an extra class that ended at 5pm.

Her grandmother subsequently found her in the school hall.

Irene had been living with her grandmother following her mother’s death from cancer.

Her father works in Kuala Lumpur.

One suspect remanded until Oct. 9

Police arrested the three boys within hours of the discovery, The Star reported.

One suspect was brought before a magistrate on Oct. 4 and will be remanded for six days, until Oct. 9.

The local police said the boy had no previous criminal record.

The status of the other two suspects was unclear.

The case is being investigated for murder.

An autopsy was conducted at Sultanah Nora Ismail Hospital in Batu Pahat on Oct. 4.

Police said the motive and circumstances surrounding the incident have yet to be established.

Wanted to become a doctor

Faeza described Irene as hardworking, quiet and kind, saying she regularly ranked first or second in her form during examinations.

The teenager hoped to become a doctor, following in her late mother’s footsteps.

Faeza recalled Irene asking what type of doctor she could become, and suggested that she consider specialising in obstetrics and gynaecology.

Her aunt said both the family and school had high hopes for her.

PM Anwar calls for swift investigation

Malaysia prime minister Anwar Ibrahim said in an Oct. 4 Facebook post that he has instructed authorities to conduct an immediate, thorough and transparent investigation.

He said firm action must be taken according to the law if criminal elements were found, adding that the government would not compromise on children’s safety and well-being.

Anwar also offered his condolences to Irene’s family.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) rescued a man, 42, standing on the eighth-floor air-con ledge of a public housing block in Bukit Panjang.

According to Shin Min Daily News, the man was seen on the air-conditioner compressor ledge outside the kitchen window and had partially gone over the railing at one point.

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they received a call for assistance at Block 635B Senja Road at around 9am on Oct. 4.

A safety life air pack was deployed as a precautionary measure.

Rescuers from the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART) rappelled from the unit above and brought the person to safety.

SCDF subsequently conveyed the person to Woodlands Hospital.

The police said the Crisis Negotiation Unit responded to the incident.

He was subsequently apprehended under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act 2008.

What happened

A Shin Min reporter arrived at the scene at around 10:10am and saw the rescued man being brought to an ambulance in a dazed state.

A neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, told Shin Min that a commotion was heard from the unit that morning.

Occasional sounds of arguing was apparently heard coming from inside the unit, the neighbour said.

A woman, who answered the door when a Shin Min reporter subsequently visited the home, declined to be interviewed.

Swaying precariously

According to a video provided by a witness, the man, dressed in a blue shirt and black shorts, was seen standing on the ledge and had one of his feet over the railing, Shin Min reported.

The witness told Shin Min that SCDF personnel were seen operating between the seventh and ninth floors.

The video also reportedly showed a large number of SCDF personnel gathered downstairs, with some deploying the air pack.

Another group of officers was seen rushing upstairs, apparently preparing to deploy rescue nets.

In another video, the man was later seen standing on top of an air-conditioning compressor and swaying precariously, Shin Min reported.

Rescue

According to Shin Min, SCDF officers mounted their rescue just as the man appeared distracted.

One team deployed nets from the upper floors, while an SCDF officer rushed out through an eighth-floor window to restrain the man.

At the same time, three other rescuers reportedly rappelled down from above to provide support.

During the rescue, the man could be heard shouting and struggling as the officers worked to restrain him, Shin Min reported.

Many residents and members of the public who had gathered at the foot of the block cheered upon the successful rescue.

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

A 42-year-old woman in the United States allegedly shot and killed her two sons before attempting to take her own life, according to police.

Colleen Lemmon faces two counts of capital murder in Texas over the deaths of Christopher Pitre, 21, and Brian Pitre, 15, the New York Post reported.

Older son found dead, younger son died in hospital

Ellis County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a mobile home on Big Sky Drive in Waxahachie at around 4am on Oct. 1.

Christopher was found dead inside the home.

His younger brother, Brian, was taken to hospital in critical condition, but later died from his injuries, according to NBC 5.

Their father, Scott Pitre, told NBC 5 that Brian had just celebrated his 15th birthday.

He said he wanted justice.

The motive for the shootings was not reported.

Allegedly admitted shooting both sons

According to an arrest affidavit obtained by FOX 4, deputies found Lemmon with self-inflicted injuries and a handgun nearby.

She allegedly told responding officers: “I shot both my kids.”

Lemmon was booked into the Wayne McCollum Detention Center in Waxahachie.

The motive for the alleged killings remained unclear.

A neighbour, Ida Brown, told FOX 4 that the deaths had affected her even though she did not know the family.

“It’s heartbreaking, and I’m praying for them,” she said.

Walking through Aljunied constituency with former MP Faisal Manap feels a bit like hanging out with a celebrity.

Even before we sit down for our interview at New Century Food House — a coffeeshop in his former ward, Kaki Bukit — he's accosted by former residents reaching out for a smile, a handshake, a friendly how-are-you.

Here, Faisal is on home ground. That person is a cleaner, he tells me, always gets the best cleaner award. That man hasn't been doing well lately, we still keep in touch.

Take the man out of the estate if you will, but 14 years as an MP doesn't go away that easily.

A move to real estate

On Sep. 21, local real estate agency ERA Real Estate Singapore announced that Faisal had joined the team as a property agent.

It wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision, Faisal tells me. In fact, he'd first signed up for a real estate course last June, just a month after GE2025.

During the election, the Workers' Party (WP) vice-chair had moved from his Aljunied stronghold to anchor the Tampines team. Despite a strong showing, they lost narrowly to the PAP with 47.37 per cent.

The loss left Faisal — essentially — unemployed.  "I served as a full-time MP, I had no other income," he tells me.

"I need to earn, right, I need to feed my family.

[But] I wanted a profession where you can actually provide, you can give clarity."

Serving the people

A month after the election, Faisal signed up for a course in real estate.

"I'm a service-oriented person," he explains.

"Both [being an MP and being a real estate agent] are providing services...

I thought that since I do have some knowledge about housing policies [from being an MP], I can provide a good service, for those people who need to know more about housing."

Pre-politics, he'd worked as a technical officer for the Housing and Development Board (HDB). Still, it took him two tries to pass the exam.

He recalls how his daughter joked that she would "kick [him] out of the house" if he didn't get serious about studying.

"It's not easy," he admits, "but I think a lucky star was shining on me." That, combined with his family's encouragement, worked.

On his second attempt in July this year, he passed the notoriously challenging exam. "[My wife] was happy that after 16 months of unemployment, I managed to get a job," he laughs.

Honest work

But the news was met with mixed reactions.

Many lauded it as honest work, an honest living. Yet others pointed out the incongruity of a former MP taking on a relatively everyman role.

In Singapore, most MPs have day jobs. But these tend to be in specialised sectors like law, banking, or academia, and often in advisory or directorship positions.

For Faisal, however, this wasn’t a path he felt was viable. “My first passion was counselling,” he explains. Back in university, he studied psychology; he'd been a counsellor until he decided to join politics full-time in 2011.

But the requirements have since changed, and he would need a post-graduate degree if he wanted to return to the social services sector.

Another issue, which Faisal doesn't go into detail about but is surely cognisant of, is the perception that opposition politicians don't always have it easy in the marketplace.

Things have improved, he says, citing his WP colleagues — Jamus Lim and Louis Chua — as examples.

The former is an associate professor at Essec Business School, the latter an equity research analyst.

But Faisal himself is the OG cautionary tale. The WP veteran publicly shared that he was asked to leave his social services job in 2011 due to his WP involvement.

"If I don't retain the MP position, will it be easy for me to get employed?" he said in a 2015 interview with Yahoo Singapore. It would take another 10 years for him to face that question head-on.

Taking it seriously

Faisal says he's thankful for the opportunity to serve the community again, even if it is in a different role.

He is taking it seriously. He has a mentor, a more experienced realtor he's working with in ERA, and he has gotten "a few leads" so far, including a former Aljunied resident.

"Nothing confirmed yet. But I'm happy that after the news broke, a few people contacted me, even though I have not marketed myself," he says.

The job also has flexible hours — an important factor, considering that he remains the WP's vice-chair and has party responsibilities to think of.

He also plans to use what extra time he has for his family, and his pro-bono counselling work, which he continues to do on the side.

Don't count him out

Even in this next phase of life, Faisal hasn't ruled out returning to MP work, wherever or whenever it may be.

His heart for serving the community remains. And however successful he may be in his new endeavour, it's "not just about making money".

So if the call arises, he will return.

"I go where the heart directs," he tells me. "If the party sees that I still can contribute, I won't turn the party down."

"Yes, I'm doing property now. But I always believe in following the heart... [So] I will not discount contesting, if I can contribute."

A man convicted of killing another man during a road rage confrontation in the United States will be resentenced.

This was after an appeals court ruled that an AI-generated video of the victim appearing sympathetic towards the accused should not have been shown at his sentencing.

Gabriel Paul Horcasitas, 55, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for shooting and killing Christopher Pelkey, 37, during a confrontation at a red light in Arizona in 2021, BBC reported.

His legal team appealed the sentence, arguing that the judge should not have allowed the video, created by the victim's family, to be played in court.

Family used recordings and photos to recreate victim

Pelkey’s sister, Stacey Wales, told BBC in 2025 that the family used voice recordings, videos and photographs to create the AI version of her brother.

The video was shown ahead of Horcasitas’ sentencing in 2025.

In it, the AI-generated Pelkey addressed the man who killed him, expressing regret over their encounter and suggesting that they could have been friends under different circumstances.

The digital recreation also spoke about forgiveness and belief in a forgiving God.

The sentencing judge, Todd Lang, responded positively to the clip.

He thanked the family for the video and said he felt the forgiveness expressed in it was genuine.

Horcasitas’ lawyers subsequently challenged its use at sentencing.

Appeals court ruled video crossed a line

The Arizona Court of Appeals agreed that the clip had “crossed that line”, according to BBC.

The court said the video did not document an actual event or preserve something Pelkey had said.

Instead, it depicted the victim and attributed thoughts to him based on his sister’s imaginings.

Horcasitas will now be resentenced.

The ruling does not overturn the jury’s finding that he was guilty of killing Pelkey.