The government is looking into the data and methodology of an academic working paper which found that civil servants in Singapore disproportionately purchased homes near planned MRT stations before they were publicly announced.

The working paper was published by American non-profit National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and is titled "Do Social Norms Substitute For Enforcement? Evidence from Public Officials' Home Purchases in Singapore".

In response to media queries, a spokesperson for the Public Service Division (PSD) said that PSD is aware of the working paper and its findings.

PSD is an agency under the Prime Minister's Office.

"We take any integrity concerns extremely seriously. We are currently reviewing the data and methodology within the paper and will refer to CPIB (Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau) if there is a material basis to do so," the PSD spokesperson said.

Working paper

According to the paper's abstract, the researchers looked at "whether pro-integrity social norms can substitute for formal enforcement in deterring misconduct by public officials".

Singapore was selected as the case study as it is widely regarded as one of the world's least corrupt countries and provides a "sharp setting" to examine whether sustained anti-corruption enforcement can produce "self-sustaining norms".

The researchers referred to private-property transactions from legal filings in Singapore and information from the Singapore Government Directory Interactive to identify civil servants and trace their home transaction histories.

They focused on purchases near planned but not yet publicly announced MRT stations around announcement dates to proxy for access to privileged location information.

Based on their assembled data, the researchers concluded that they found clear evidence of informed trading by civil servants.

"Civil servants disproportionately purchase homes near planned — but not yet publicly announced — stations, with the effect concentrated one to two years before public announcements."

They also claimed that these generated "meaningful private gains" and also appear among relatives, which is consistent with information leakage.

Using a large-language model assisted classification, they found that such behaviour is concentrated among mid-level officials.

The researchers also considered whether civil servants are simply better processing public information rather than relying on privileged information, but did not find similar home-purchasing patterns in other groups which they deemed to possess "high information-processing sophistication", such as real estate agents and corporate board members.

The paper also found that legislative changes in 2012 that targeted information security practices and market misconduct, namely the Securities and Futures (Amendment) Act 2012 and Official Secrets Act Revisions (2012), "shut down" such behaviour.

It concluded that "even in high-integrity societies, social norms may not be sufficiently self-sustaining to maintain a low-corruption equilibrium without continued formal enforcement".

Not yet peer-reviewed

The academic working paper was written by co-authors from Stanford University, Columbia University and the University of Hong Kong.

In its preface, the co-authors noted that NBER working papers are circulated for discussion and comment purposes and have not been peer-reviewed or reviewed by its board of directors.

They also noted that their findings benefitted from discussions with a number of academics, such as economics professor Chang-Tai Hsieh from the University of Chicago, professor of economics and business administration from Harvard University, and academics Ivan Png and Sumit Agarwal from National University of Singapore.

Economics professor Li Shengwu from Harvard University was also mentioned. Li is the son of Lee Hsien Yang and grandson of the late Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

A married man in Singapore who was in an exploitative relationship with a 14-year-old girl arranged for "threesomes" with his friends and strangers.

The 39-year-old man, who has a history of sexual offending with minors, met the girl online just two months after his release from jail.

The relationship continued over the course of about four years, with the man pressurising the girl to engage in sexual relations with him and others.

The man pleaded guilty to four charges of sexual penetration of a minor, two charges for sex trafficking of a child, and one charge of voluntarily causing hurt to the victim on Sep. 14.

Another 14 charges involving sexual offences will be taken into consideration at sentencing, according to court documents seen by Mothership.

A gag order has been placed on all parties to protect the victim.

Met on mobile app

The man, who worked as a cleaner, was married at the time of the offences and has a son.

He divorced his wife in 2023.

The victim, a secondary school student, was 14 years old when they first met in January 2022 through the Heymandi mobile application.

Despite the victim informing him of her age, the man suggested meeting up.

They met on Jan. 10, 2022, and he asked for a hug and a kiss, which the girl declined.

The two continued chatting over the next few weeks, eventually regarding each other as boyfriend and girlfriend.

At one point, the man also asked the victim whether she was a virgin, and she replied that she was and they discussed having sex.

Engaged in sexual acts

The pair met for the second time later in January at a staircase landing of an HDB block after the girl finished school.

The man initiated sex after showing her a pornographic video, and the girl agreed as she considered him her "boyfriend" and was sexually curious.

The prosecution said that the victim felt that their relationship had become "official" after this "first episode of sex".

The man later revealed to her that he was not actually divorced, as he had previously told her, but claimed to be in the process of divorcing his wife.

The pair continued having sex over the next few months, at no point using protection during any of their encounters.

Threesome fantasies

The man then turned the victim into a "toy for his fantasies of threesome double-penetrative sex", the prosecution said.

The man started to pressure the girl into having threesomes with his friend, whom he had shared such fantasies with before.

While the victim initially refused, the man guilt-tripped her, even threatening to break up with her.

She eventually gave in as she wanted to "save" the relationship.

From 2022 to 2024, the man arranged more threesomes with the victim and his friend.

The man also arranged for similar threesomes with his co-worker.

Sometime between Aug. 13, 2023, and Aug. 12, 2024, he also arranged for the victim to be prostituted out for threesomes with a person he met on the Heymandi app.

They engaged in about three to four episodes of threesomes, with the victim receiving about S$100 to S$150 for two of the episodes.

Also in December 2023, the man advertised for strangers to have threesome sex with the victim on the “Alamak” online platform.

He offered a man known as “Alamak Man” to have sex with the victim, introducing her as his wife.

She was given S$100 for this episode.

Similarly, the victim was made to have sex with two other men on the app separately for payment between 2023 and 2024.

End of relationship

Sometime between April and June 2025, the victim ended her relationship with the man.

He became upset when he found out that she was speaking to other men.

She eventually blocked the man from contacting her, but he was very upset as he wanted to remain in a relationship with the victim.

On Jul. 2, 2025, the man waited for the victim underneath her HDB block and attacked her by punching her on her head when she came out of the lift.

He scolded her for ignoring him and continued to punch her on the head several times until she fell to the ground.

He stopped when a passer-by intervened but continued his attack after the passer-by left.

The victim eventually told him she would unblock him to placate him.

After the assault, the victim told her mother what happened, and her mother brought her to the police station to lodge a report.

The man was arrested on Jul. 3, 2025, and he has remained in remand since.

Raped younger sister previously

The prosecution revealed that when the man was 19 years old, he raped his younger sister, who was then only 11 years old and intellectually disabled.

He was sentenced to a cumulative two years’ imprisonment for his offences against his sister.

The man then preyed on another intellectually disabled girl, 14, when he was 30 years old.

Despite her reluctance to have sex, the man "foisted himself upon her and robbed her of her virginity", the prosecution said.

The man was sentenced to 22 months’ imprisonment for his offence against this girl in 2022.

He then began his current spate of offences involving the current victim barely two months after his last sentence lapsed.

Calling the man a "sexual predator" who is a "menace to vulnerable girls", the prosecution asked to assess the man's suitability for corrective training and preventive detention as sentencing options.

Corrective training involves the incarceration of an offender for a minimum period of 5 years and up to a maximum of 14 years.

It is imposed on repeat offenders to receive training of a corrective character to achieve reformation and prevention of crime.

Preventive detention involves the confinement of an offender for a minimum of 7 years and up to a maximum of 20 years.

This is separate from imprisonment and is imposed when the court finds that a recalcitrant offender should be detained in prison for a substantial period of time to protect the public.

"The grim conclusion from the accused’s criminal history and his current spate of offences is that ordinary imprisonment will not deter him," the prosecution said, adding that his offences have escalated each time he returned to the community.

A 15-year-old boy in Malaysia was acquitted of murdering his 16-year-old schoolmate at a secondary school in Bandar Utama in 2025.

The High Court on Sep. 14 found him to have been of unsound mind during the incident.

The boy will be detained and treated at Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta in Perak at the pleasure of the Sultan of Selangor, the judge ordered.

Defence lawyer addresses media

The boy's lawyer, Kitson Foong, told reporters after closed-door proceedings that the defence had successfully established the requirements for the defence of insanity, while the prosecution had failed to rebut it.

"As a result, the court acquitted the boy of the murder charge on the grounds of insanity," he said.

Foong added that the boy will be treated at a psychiatric hospital "until the Sultan of Selangor receives a report stating that he can return to society and is no longer a threat to society", upon the advice of psychiatric doctors.

Heard voices

The court had accepted the testimony and report of Ian Lloyd Anthony, the forensic psychiatrist and director of Hospital Bahagia Ulu Kinta

Ian Lloyd found that the boy was suffering from severe schizophrenia, New Straits Times reported Foong saying.

"He was not his normal self. He thought he was God and heard voices," Foong said.

The trial started on Aug. 3, 2026.

A total of 11 prosecution witnesses, including the boy's elder brother, gave testimony.

The defence called two witnesses: The boy and Ian Lloyd.

Boy aware of proceedings

Foong added that the boy understood and was aware of the proceedings as the judge's decision was translated into Mandarin for him, NST reported.

The boy will no longer be held at the Puncak Alam Correctional Centre where he has been detained since being charged with murder.

Foong said the judge personally reminded the boy that he took a life and about the gravity of the offence, and to be grateful for the second chance given to him by the court, whose liberty should not be taken for granted.

The boy acknowledged that he had taken a life, Foong said.

The court also explained every aspect and clarified the issues concerning his mental health, the defence lawyer added, according to NST.

Victim's mother avoided media

The victim's mother was in court, but reportedly left through a different exit to avoid the media.

Foong said he hoped the victim's family would not view the decision as an insult to the deceased: "It is not that we have disregarded the interests of the deceased."

He explained that the judge's decision was based on the charges, the medical report, and expert findings.

Foong said Malaysian law recognised that children below 18 could be treated and rehabilitated.

Background

The boy had pleaded not guilty to murdering his Form Four schoolmate in the girls' toilet of SMK Bandar Utama Damansara (4), Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, between 9:20am and 9:35am on Oct. 14, 2025.

The charge carries the death penalty, or jail term of between 30 and 40 years and 12 strokes of the cane.

The death penalty cannot be imposed on a child who commits an offence while below 18.

However, the person convicted of such an offence can be detained at the pleasure of sultan.

A woman who took part in the TriFactor Duathlon on Sep. 13, 2026 was allegedly left badly injured after a fellow rider collided into her.

The other rider apparently did not stop to check on her after the collision, and continued riding on, according to the woman's sister.

The sister posted about what happened on Instagram, seeking witnesses who might have information to identify the rider for a police report.

In a subsequent update, the sister said the victim has made a police report.

The police confirmed that a report was lodged and they are looking into the matter.

In response to Mothership's queries, the management team of TriFactor, who organised the duathlon, said they are aware of a cycling incident involving a participant at the event.

The collision

The TriFactor Duathlon, which follows a run–bike–run race format, was held at East Coast Park on the morning of Sep. 13.

According to the victim's sister, the incident happened at around 9:30am, during the cycling leg of the race.

The victim recalled a male participant overtaking her from the left, which caused the collision.

After he allegedly rode away, an ambulance brought the victim to Changi General Hospital's emergency department.

She was apparently sent to the hospital alone, without her belongings too, which made the sister "extremely concerned".

The Instagram post included a photo of the victim with a bloodied lip and bruises on parts of her face.

She also appeared to be bandaged.

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Pain and injuries

The sister also reshared what appeared to be an Instagram story by the victim post-incident.

"Apart from the damage to my bike and sunglasses, I'm now dealing with quite a bit of pain and injuries," the victim wrote.

She recounted that she had been thrown off her bike, and there was a lot of blood on the ground.

The victim wrote that she was sad not to have completed the race, and scared and ashamed to talk publicly about what happened.

Her family has asked her to return to Kuala Lumpur, so that they can look after her.

She added that she was being taken care of, and hopes to come back stronger.

TriFactor's response

Initially, the sister said TriFactor Asia did not provide her with a "proper response" nor answered her calls.

She later updated that a person from the company contacted the family regarding the incident.

"At this point, our intention is not to place all the pressure or responsibility on TriFactor Asia.

We simply hope that they can cooperate and assist with the investigation so that the matter can be properly looked into."

TriFactor's management team told Mothership that there were established safety and medical protocols in place at the event.

"Our on-ground safety and medical teams responded immediately, adhering strictly to established protocols.

Preliminary reviews confirm all standard operational controls were fully executed with no operational lapses."

They added that they are in direct contact with the participant to offer their full support towards her recovery.

Japanese adult video (AV) actress Hana Kuraki has died at the age of 25.

Host club owner Sakito acknowledged Kuraki’s death in a Sep. 12 post on X, saying he had gone to the scene after being contacted by one of her friends.

According to Tokyo Reporter, Kuraki was found dead on Sep. 12 in an apartment in Tokyo's Kabukicho district.

Police and her management agency had not publicly announced an official cause of death at the time of the report.

The apartment was rented under the name of Shota Taira, a host with Kabukicho-based L's Collection group.

Friend was first to find Kuraki

In his X post, Sakito expressed his condolences over Kuraki's death.

“I am deeply saddened and heartbroken to learn of Hana Kuraki's passing. I would like to offer my sincere condolences,” Sakito wrote in Japanese.

He also sought to correct what he described as inaccurate information circulating about the incident.

Sakito said he was not the first person on the scene to find Kuraki.

According to his statement, one of Kuraki's friends had found her and subsequently contacted him, prompting him to head to the apartment.

Sakito said he then called Taira, whom he identified as the tenant of the apartment.

According to Sakito, Taira said he had a meeting and would only be able to reach the apartment about two hours later.

Sakito said he therefore dealt with police officers and investigators who arrived at the scene.

Kuraki had reportedly spoken to him about relationship troubles

Sakito also said Kuraki had previously confided in him about difficulties in her relationship with Taira.

He said Kuraki's death had left him wondering whether there had been more he could have done to help her.

Sakito also said he was disappointed by alleged criticism that came from Taira, saying he had considered Taira a friend.

However, he urged people not to spread further speculation or inaccurate information surrounding Kuraki's death, saying consideration for Kuraki's family and friends should take priority.

He ended his statement with a cryptic comment:

“I pray for a world where people who dominate through violence and corner others like this no longer exist.”

Debuted in 2024

Kuraki, who was from Kanagawa, used to work as a hair and makeup assistant, according to Tokyo Reporter.

She made her debut in May 2024 as an exclusive performer with adult video label S1.

To save on security costs, the Management Corporation Strata Title (MCST) of Binjai Crest, a landed property estate in Bukit Timah, decided to reduce the number of night security guards from two to one.

They then installed a security barrier with an intercom that can be used to contact the security service provider’s command centre.

A resident, Tay Jia Sheng, requested that the MSCT remove the barrier on the grounds that there was no special resolution to approve its placement.

A special resolution means that at least 75 per cent of the share value represented by the valid votes cast by owners who are present in a general meeting must vote in favour of a decision.

However, the Strata Titles Board (STB) ruled that the MSCT was acting to "control, manage and administer the common property", and did not allow the resident's claim.

The STBs are tribunals established under the Building (Strata Management) Act to mediate and hear applications between subsidiary proprietors and the management corporation, or between subsidiary proprietors.

These involve matters relating to certain disputes arising in respect of strata titled property and orders for collective sales of property under the Land Titles (Strata) Act.

Binjai Crest is a 125-unit strata landed development located at 319 Jalan Kampong Chantek.

Dispute

A judgment released on Aug. 4 revealed that a complaint was lodged against Tay by a former council member of the MCST following a dispute about the security barrier.

He had claimed that this complaint was lodged using his personal information that was allegedly obtained in breach of confidentiality.

He sought four orders against the MCST, including to remove a security barrier installed on the common property at the main entrance of Binjai Crest as it was installed without a special resolution.

However, the board noted that the MCST had erected the barrier for the purpose of controlling, managing, and administering the common property, and did not require a special resolution for this.

The installation was intended to reduce costs, allowing the MCST to save around S$30,000 annually by reducing the number of security guards at night from two to one.

Other orders

Tay also requested the MCST to provide a large number of documents, which range from 2021 to the present day, within seven days.

While the board acknowledged that the MCST is obligated to make requested documents available for inspection, it noted that Tay had not specified the exact documents he wanted.

The board stated that the MCST is not required to sieve through the documents to find the information Tay needs on his behalf.

As such, it ordered the MCST to provide the relevant documents within 21 days, and allow Tay to review them within the next 30 days to select, extract, or copy the necessary information himself.

Tay also requested MCST fix the lights in the estate, claiming that there is a “systemic and persistent state of defective lightings in Binjai Crest”.

The board allowed this application, ordering the MCST to inspect the lighting in the common property and rectify all the defective lighting.

The last order Tay made was for the MCST to comply with the posting of meeting minutes of general meetings, claiming that they had posted draft minutes instead of the finalised and signed-off ones.

The board did not find that there was any breach by MCST in this case.

Overall, the MCST successfully defended two of four orders, while Tay succeeded on one order. Neither party fully succeeded on the order involving the documents.

As such, Tay was ordered to pay the MCST S$8,000 in costs.

A new law to safeguard and strengthen racial harmony took effect on Sep. 15, 2026.

The Maintenance of Racial Harmony Act 2025 was passed by parliament on Feb. 4, 2025.

In a press release on Sep. 14, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said the act "strengthens Singapore's ability to preserve racial harmony, respond effectively to emerging threats, and safeguard our multicultural society against malicious foreign influence".

The new law empowers the government to issue restraining orders (ROs) against individuals who make content that prejudices Singapore’s racial harmony.

It does this by consolidating existing statutes to preserve racial harmony while providing for additional safeguards.

Presidential Council for Racial and Religious Harmony

Under the new law, a new Presidential Council for Racial and Religious Harmony (PCRRH) will be established to replace the existing Presidential Council for Religious Harmony.

The PCRRH is also set to begin its inaugural three-year term on Sep. 15.

It will comprise representatives from Singapore's major racial and religious communities, and persons who have distinguished themselves in public service or community relations in Singapore.

PCRRH members are expected to exercise independent judgement and work collectively in advising on matters affecting the maintenance of racial and religious harmony.

Former Supreme Court judge Choo Han Teck has been appointed as the council’s chairman.

Its members are:

• Seck Kwang Phing, president of the Singapore Buddhist Federation
• K. Sengkuttuvan, chairman of the Hindu Advisory Board and president of the Inter-Religious Organisation
• Nazirudin Mohd Nasir, Mufti of Singapore
• Philip Lim Kian Leong, president of the National Council of Churches of Singapore
• William Goh, Archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church in Singapore
• Sarbjit Singh, president of Defence Aerospace, ST Engineering
• Lee Cheuk Yin, academic adviser of the Taoist Federation and Taoist Mission
• Thomas Chua Kee Seng, president of the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations
• Ishak Ismail, Singapore’s Non-Resident High Commissioner to Pakistan
• Bala Reddy, former deputy chairman of the Hindu Endowments Board
• Sandra Theseira, former president of the Eurasian Association

The PCRRH may consider and make recommendations to the president on ROs made under the new law, or the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act 1990 (MRHA).

MRHA was enacted in 1990 to provide for powers to maintain religious harmony in Singapore.

The council may also consider matters affecting racial or religious harmony referred to it by the Home Affairs minister or parliament and report its views to them.

Corresponding constitutional amendments will also come into effect, MHA said.

Restraining orders against racial content

The new law will empower the Home Affairs minister to issue ROs against persons involved in the "communication, production or distribution of content that prejudices the maintenance of racial harmony in Singapore", MHA stated.

The RO takes immediate effect once a copy of the order is given to the person in question.

Failure to comply with the RO will be considered an offence.

"These powers allow the government to take swift and pre-emptive action against offensive content that can spread rapidly and may cause irreparable harm to social cohesion," MHA said.

The ministry added that constitutional amendments will confer on the president the discretion to confirm, cancel, or vary an RO if the PCRRH's recommendation and the cabinet's advice differ.

Updates to existing race-related offences

Some existing race-related offences will be ported over or updated following the new act.

Sections 298 and 298A of the Penal Code 1871 on offences relating to race will be repealed, said MHA.

These offences will be superseded, with updates, by sections 39 and 40 of the new law, to cover conduct that:

• a. Incite feelings of enmity, hatred, ill-will or hostility against, or contempt for or ridicule of, a racial group;
• b. Insult, vilify, denigrate, threaten or abuse another person on the basis of race; and
• c. Urge violence on the basis of race, or against a racial group.

The act also introduces defences for these offences that are already present in the MRHA, including for private or domestic conduct, and for pointing out matters in good faith for the purpose of bringing about a removal of those matters, MHA added.

Community remedial initiative for race-related offences

Alleged offenders may be sent to undergo remedial action through a newly formed Community Remedial Initiative (CRI) under the new act.

The initiative gives them the "opportunity to learn from and make amends for his racist conduct, thereby soothing communal tensions and repairing ties between the communities", MHA said.

In deciding whether to institute proceedings against a person for certain race-related offences, the public prosecutor may consider whether the person has satisfactorily completed the programme.

However, the CRI will not be offered for egregious cases, such as those involving incitement of violence or conduct that severely undermines social cohesion.

"These cases will continue to be considered for criminal prosecution. This sends the right signal that such conduct will not be tolerated," MHA said.

Safeguards against foreign influence for race-based entities

The act also introduces safeguards against foreign influence for designated race-based entities, MHA said.

The safeguards are similar to those currently applied to religious groups under the MRHA.

Designated race-based entities will be required to disclose foreign and anonymous donations, foreign affiliations and leadership composition, as well as to comply with leadership restrictions.

The racial harmony law means that some 300 clan and business associations will be designated as “race-based entities” are subjected to similar disclosures.

MHA will engage such entities before they are designated and will also guide them on the reporting requirements, ahead of their first reporting obligation in April 2028, the ministry shared.

The Home Affairs minister will also be able to impose stepped-up measures against specific race-based entities by issuing foreign influence ROs.

This is in order to "pre-empt, prevent, or reduce foreign influence" that may undermine racial harmony and present a threat to public peace and public order in Singapore, MHA said.

These foreign influence ROs are subject to the same safeguards as racial content ROs.

Singapore will likely be affected by smoke haze in the coming days with the 24-hour PSI forecast to be in the high moderate to mid unhealthy range.

This was announced by the National Environment Agency (NEA) in its evening advisory on Sep. 14, 2026.

A PSI value of 51 to 100 indicates a moderate range, while 101 to 200 is the unhealthy range.

The PSI value at 12am on Sep. 15 is 145, which is in the mid unhealthy range.

Why the worsening haze?

Dry conditions are forecast over Singapore and the surrounding region in the coming days, NEA added, with the prevailing winds expected to continue blowing from the southeast to east-southeast.

Brief showers fell over a few parts of Singapore on Monday, it was noted.

As at 6pm on Monday, the 24-hour PSI was 88 to 120, which put it in the moderate to unhealthy range.

At the same time, the one-hour PM2.5 concentration readings were 56 to 121, which put it in Band 2 (Elevated).

The one-hour PM2.5 readings act as a real-time gauge of the air during hazy conditions.

NEA said the air quality was due to moderate to dense smoke plumes from fires in Kalimantan having drifted towards Singapore, owing to a shift in the prevailing winds to blow from east-southeast.

Some smoke haze was also observed to drift from southern Sumatra, NEA added.

Health impact

The health impact of haze is dependent on one’s health status, the PSI level, and the length and intensity of outdoor activity.

For immediate outdoor activities, the public is advised to check the one-hour PM2.5 concentration readings and personal guide, NEA noted.

The co-founder of Hyrox, the fitness race competition, has apologised over the incident at its recent Beijing event which saw an athlete complete the race even after she defecated herself due to fecal incontinence.

The athlete, Australian Joanna Wietrzyk, was seen completing exercises like burpee broad jumps with stained garments and legs.

Hyrox had earlier said in a Sep. 14 statement that concerns raised about hygiene were "legitimate", but said that it would ban anyone identified for comments which threatened to harm the athlete involved.

However, the statement drew backlash from online users.

They took issue with how the Hyrox statement did not take into account the impact on other participants and how it seemed to suggest distinct protocols between elite competitors and others.

Apologised

In his statement posted on Instagram on Sep. 14, Hyrox co-founder Moritz Fürste issued an apology to “address the China incident directly”.

"I apologise to all that were directly or indirectly affected, as well as to everyone who felt like we did not handle the situation like we should have," Fürste said, referring to the incident during the Beijing race.

Fürste acknowledged that the organiser made a mistake "by not reacting immediately during the race".

“In the end, it is my job to foresee these potential incidents — and I did not.”

After videos of the incident circulated online, the Beijing organiser issued a statement saying that affected lanes and areas were closed and disinfected.

Fürste took personal responsibility for the incident and shared that rulebook changes were made immediately.

He also shared that there are new rules and procedures in place to prevent similar incidents from reoccuring.

At the time of writing, his post has garnered over 7,600 likes and 1,500 comments.

While some commenters expressed appreciation for the co-founder's apology, others have continued insisting that the athlete be disqualified for causing inconvenience to others.

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A post shared by Mo Fuerste (@mofuerste)

Background

Videos of the incident during the Beijing competition circulated on Chinese social media on Sep. 12.

Wietrzyk went on to win the women's event at the competition, which took place from Sep. 10 to 13, despite the incident.

The competition organiser faced criticisms for allowing Wietrzyk to continue despite her state, with many raising hygiene concerns.

Hyrox was launched in Germany in 2017.

It is a multi-workout fitness competition which sees participants do a 1km run between eight workout stations.

The workouts include sled pull, 1000m rowing, 2x32kg farmers carry and 80m burpee broad jump.

According to its website, it currently has races in more than 11 different countries and over 30 different cities.

A woman dropped one of her AirPods down a drainage grate in Bukit Batok but was reunited with it thanks to a migrant worker who retrieved it within five minutes of his arrival at the scene.

TikTok user @i.tgal_insg, who goes by Angela, posted a video of the incident and thanked the migrant worker, Rony Das, for his swift rescue.

In her caption, she said: "Singapore efficiency is real. One call and it was sorted. Didn't even take five minutes!"

"Huge thanks to brother Rony for saving me S$100."

Called Town Council

Angela said that while she was heading home from work, she got off at a bus stop at Bukit Batok Avenue 1 and was about to put her AirPods back into their case.

She accidentally dropped the left earbud through a drainage grate.

"I was with one of my housemates, and I immediately went into total panic."

The pair were not sure whether they were allowed to lift the grate themselves, but remembered that information was posted in the lift about maintenance and other matters.

According to time stamps provided by Angela, the duo called Jurong-Clementi-Bukit Batok Town Council at 8:36pm, and a staff member assisted them.

"I was really eager to get it back because I was worried that if I left it there for a few days, especially if it rained, the earbud might get flushed away," explained Angela.

Gave him doughnuts as thanks

Shortly after the four-minute-long call ended, the town council staff called back at 8:43pm, saying Rony, a cleaner working nearby, was on his way.

Rony arrived on his bike, leapt into the drain and quickly handed the earbud back to Angela at 8:47pm.

Angela added that she did not have any cash on her, and Rony refused to give her his PayNow information.

As a gesture of gratitude, she gave Rony a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts instead.

Angela noted that the town council staff also called her around 10pm to check if she had retrieved her AirPods.

When asked what prompted her to share the incident on social media, Angela said she was "truly impressed by the response and how quickly everything was handled."

"I wanted to share this because, regardless of who we are or what we do, or what your profession is, a simple act of kindness and appreciation can mean so much. Kindness is free; let’s keep spreading it."