Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim criticised the growing tendency among major powers to weaponise economic interdependence, which causes vulnerability for other nations.

He was speaking at the 31st Nikkei Future of Asia conference, where regional leaders gathered in Tokyo, Japan to discuss ways to make Asia more resilient amid an increasingly uncertain world.

The prime minister noted that Malaysia, as a middle power, is "uniquely positioned" to build bridges and consensus where others see divides.

Geopolitical rivalry

Anwar noted that export restrictions and industrial policies are increasingly shaped by geopolitical rivalry.

"Supply chains, technology, critical minerals, finance, and market access are increasingly viewed through the lens of rivalry rather than mutual benefit," Anwar said.

While these may be harnessed as "instruments of statecraft" for major powers, they become a "source of vulnerability" for other nations, he said.

Turning to how Asia has prospered in the past through open trade, he suggested that today's challenges require fresh approaches and revitalised institutions.

He added that "middle powers" like Malaysia have a "particular responsibility" in this endeavour.

"We may not possess overwhelming power, but we possess credibility. We understand the aspirations of developing nations and the concerns of advanced economies," he said.

He said that Malaysia is "uniquely positioned," to build bridges and consensus where others see divides.

He added that Malaysia is fortunate to have colleagues within ASEAN who share this commitment to engaging with others, viewing the positive outcomes of free trade, and connecting with all countries and powers.

Strategic competition risks dividing the region into competing spheres, he added, forcing countries like Malaysia to take sides.

Strategic uncertainty

Anwar also called for greater clarity among world leaders, saying that many have yet to free themselves from the "old paradigm in geopolitics," in which "the strong continue to be invested in suppressing the weak".

He stated that the uncertainty in today's world is "strategic", where leaders are still dictated by realpolitik and hegemonic considerations in their striving for power.

He cited the tragedy in Gaza, Lebanon and Middle East tensions as examples that demonstrate the "fragility of peace and the limits of international consensus".

He also noted the power rivalry in the Asia region, such as the South China Sea disputes and the nuclear threat posed by North Korea.

"Navigating this strategic uncertainty warrants more than passive compliance or passive acceptance of the state of play," Anwar said.

It is therefore the duty of political leadership to provide clarity to these "strategic flux" and not condone the excesses of realpolitik, he said.

"We need leaders with the courage and conviction to call out the injustices and hardship that continue to plague us, and to advocate for a more proactive approach to peace and progress," he added.

Collaboration and clarity

Anwar argued that the world currently suffers from a "shortage of clarity", rather than a shortage of power.

He ultimately called for collaboration among different nations, saying:

"The challenges before us are simply too complex for any one nation to address alone, so rather than capitulation, the answer lies in collaboration, encapsulating cooperation, trust, and strengthening institutions capable of bringing people together."

The examination system at the Institute of Technological Education (ITE) went down during an assessment on Jun. 4.

Reactions

In a Reddit post, a user who identified themselves as a student from ITE College East posted about the incident on the same day.

The student apparently woke up at about 6am and reported to the exam venue at 8.30am to prepare for a test, which took place at 9am.

The IAS (Integrated Assessment System) reportedly crashed, and apparently “nobody” could log in.

The student also claimed the internet connection was “perfectly fine”.

“We waited in the exam venue for 2h straight before the invigilator told us to come back next week for the exam cuz the whole system is down across all 3 ITE campuses,” the Reddit post read.

In the comments section, others also noted similar experiences.

Some claimed their assessments were rescheduled.

Ongoing

Xing Yu, a 19-year-old nursing student from ITE College East, claimed the issue was present when she took her assessments on Jun. 9, five days after the examination system went down.

She heard that the technical issue had impacted other courses on Jun. 5, a day after the system went down.

“I assumed it would be resolved over the weekend,” she said.

The student added that she and her course mates were informed in advance that their assessments would be conducted in pen-and-paper format.

“The sudden change to a pen-and-paper examination required me to adjust my approach during the exam, which was unexpected,” she noted.

Response

In response to Mothership’s queries, an ITE spokesperson confirmed that a technical issue affected online examinations on Jun. 4.

Students encountered difficulties accessing the system.

Those affected would be taking rescheduled examinations on Jun. 11.

“We are working with the vendor to resolve the issue. In the interim, all examinations from Jun. 5 onwards are proceeding as scheduled using printed scripts,” the spokesperson added.

On Jun. 9, Kuala Lumpur police arrested four youths for their alleged involvement in performing dangerous motorcycle 'wheelie' stunts that were recorded on video and posted to social media.

Three motorcyclists and a pillion rider, aged 17 to 24, were arrested, The New Straits Times reported.

Kuala Lumpur Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department chief Mohd Zamzuri Mohd Isa said that all four suspects were arrested at their respective homes in the Klang Valley between 12:30am and 1:30am following investigations into the videos.

Wheelies gone viral

In a statement to the press, Zamzuri said that the police had acted on videos uploaded to Facebook showing three motorcycles in total, two Honda EX5s and a Yamaha 135LC FI, performing stunts on the road.

The incidents were believed to have taken place between 2am and 2:30am on Jun. 6 and 7.

In total, four men were recorded performing wheelies.

One of them, riding a Honda EX5, fell off while performing a wheelie and crashed, 8world reported.

Zamzuri said that the suspects were arrested under the Road Transport Act 1987 for "riding recklessly and dangerously, endangering other road users and themselves".

"We advise the public not to participate in any form of street gang activity, including wheelie stunts, as such actions not only endanger the individuals involved but also pose a threat to the safety of other road users," he added, according to The Star.

Veteran Hong Kong actor and movie producer Raymond Wong has been sentenced to five months' jail and fined HK$99,720 (S$16,380) for insider trading on Jun. 9.

He was previously convicted of sharing insider information with his sister to trade shares of an entertainment company that he chaired and had a controlling stake in at the time.

The 80-year-old will not have to begin serving his jail sentence immediately, as the Hong Kong court granted him bail of HK$200,000 (S$32,860) pending his appeal, according to a Securities and Futures Commission (SFC) press release.

On top of the fine, Wong was also ordered by the Hong Kong court to pay HK$374,305 (S$61,500) to SFC for investigation costs.

Background of the case

Following a 16-day trial, the Hong Kong court ruled on May 22 that Wong had advised his sister via multiple WhatsApp messages in 2017 to trade shares of Pegasus Entertainment Holdings, now known as Transmit Entertainment.

At the time, he was negotiating with a potential buyer to sell his controlling stake in the company.

He tipped his sister off about the deal well before it was disclosed to the market, and it allowed her to ultimately earn a total net profit that exceeded HK$1 million (S$163,000).

In one message, he told his sister, "Buy as much as you can when it is under HK$0.20 [S$0.03]."

Sentencing

In sentencing, the judge acknowledged Wong's exceptional contributions to the Hong Kong film industry, The Standard reported.

This was highlighted by the actor's lawyer in the mitigation plea.

Wong starred in movies such as the "Happy Ghost" series and the "All’s Well, Ends Well" series, and was also a producer behind the "Ip Man" movie series.

The judge also noted Wong's old age as posing a low risk of reoffending, and the relatively modest financial gains involved.

According to South China Morning Post, the judge set a starting point for the sentence at nine months' in prison, then reduced it to reflect Wong’s contributions to society.

A 34-year-old man will be charged on Jun. 10 with driving under the influence of etomidate, dangerous driving causing death, and other traffic offences, resulting in one death and injuries to two others.

On Jun. 5, 2025, at about 1:15am, the police were alerted to an accident involving two cars and a motorcycle along the Central Expressway (CTE) towards the Seletar Expressway (SLE).

Fatality & injuries

A 20-year-old motorcyclist was conveyed unconscious to the hospital.

He subsequently passed away from multiple grievous injuries.

His 28-year-old male passenger was conveyed conscious to the hospital.

He suffered grievous injuries, including a spinal fracture, liver lacerations, head injury, right ankle fracture and multiple abrasions.

A 28-year-old male passenger of the other car sought medical treatment for bodily pain after the accident.

Investigations

Investigations revealed that the accused had allegedly driven erratically, causing other motorists to take evasive action to avoid him.

He purportedly left his car stationary in the middle of the expressway, obstructing traffic.

This resulted in the motorcycle apparently colliding with the stationary vehicle, before both the rider and his passenger fell into the path of oncoming traffic.

The accused allegedly did not render assistance and fled the scene in his car immediately after the incident.

He also failed to report the accident to the police within the required 24 hours.

The traffic police established the identity of the car driver and arrested him within 13 hours of the report.

Etomidate was apparently detected in the accused's blood sample in a subsequent analysis by the Health Sciences Authority.

His driving licence was suspended with immediate effect.

Charges

The man will be charged with driving under the influence of a drug, dangerous driving causing death, dangerous driving causing grievous hurt, dangerous driving causing hurt, failing to stop after an accident, failing to render assistance after a fatal accident and removing a vehicle without police authority after an accident.

Driving under the influence of a drug as a repeat offender carries a fine ranging from S$5,000 to S$20,000, and a jail term of up to two years.

Offenders may also face disqualification from driving all classes of vehicles for at least five years.

Dangerous driving causing death carries a jail term between two and eight years and, as a serious repeat offender, carries an additional jail term of between two and four years.

Offenders may be disqualified from driving all classes of vehicles for at least 15 years.

Dangerous driving causing grievous hurt carries a jail term between one and five years.

A serious repeat offender can additionally be fined between S$5,000 and S$20,000, with an additional jail term of up to two years.

Offenders may be disqualified from driving all classes of vehicles for at least 13 years.

Dangerous driving causing hurt carries a fine of up to S$10,000 and a jail term of up to two years, or both.

As a serious repeat offender, it carries an additional fine of between S$5,000 and S$20,000 and a jail term of up to two years.

Offenders may be disqualified from driving all classes of vehicles for at least five years.

Failing to stop after an accident, and moving the vehicle without a police officer’s authority, each carry a fine of up to S$1,000, or a jail term of up to three months, or both.

Failing to render assistance to the seriously injured carries a fine of up to S$3,000, or a jail term of up to 12 months, or both.

Offenders may be disqualified from driving all classes of vehicles for at least 12 months.

The offence of removing a vehicle without Police authority after an accident carries a fine of up to S$1,000, a jail term of up to three months, or both.

A 57-year-old Singaporean man was sentenced to 11 weeks' jail for taking upskirt videos of several women.

He was shopping with his wife when he committed the acts.

Pua Thiam Guan pleaded guilty to four counts of voyeurism on Jun. 9, The Straits Times reported.

At VivoCity

In court documents seen by Mothership, Pua was out shopping with his wife at VivoCity shopping mall on Feb. 20, 2024, around 5:13pm.

As he walked into a Watsons outlet, he activated the video recording function of his phone and approached an unknown lady dressed in a pair of shorts.

With the camera lens angled upwards towards the victim's buttocks, he took an image of her without her consent.

Pua admitted during police investigations later that he took the recording, which included her buttocks and face, for his own sexual gratification.

After leaving the Watsons outlet, Pua proceeded to Golden Village, where the lobby was packed with moviegoers.

While waiting at the lobby, he "felt an urge" to take more videos of women wearing short skirts.

There, he took upskirt videos of three more victims.

One of the victims caught Pua in the act and confronted him, snatching his handphone.

The victim's friend then apprehended him until police arrived.

Pua was later arrested at 8:30pm that day.

Not the first time

After his arrest, Pua's handphone was seized.

Upon inspection, his phone not only contained recordings of the victims from that day, but images of other women that had been taken on seven separate occasions from January and February 2022.

The handphone also contained 165 video files that Pua downloaded, which the Infocomm Media Development Authority certified to be obscene.

Those found guilty of voyeurism can be jailed for up to two years, fined, caned, or receive any combination of such punishments.

Five teenagers have been arrested for allegedly stealing two motor vehicles in Punggol.

The group comprised of four males and one female, aged between 15 and 18.

Police were alerted to the theft of two motor vehicles at Punggol Seventeenth Avenue at about 4:35pm on Jun. 6.

They were arrested on Jun. 9, three days after the theft was reported.

Police traced them through surveillance footage and ground enquiries, according to Singapore Police Force (SPF).

What happened

Preliminary investigations showed that the teenagers had allegedly gained access to the vehicles after the transponders were left unattended on the car tyres.

None of them held a valid driving licence.

They had taken the vehicles out for a joyride.

Charges and investigations

Four of the teenagers are set to be charged in court on Jun. 10 under for theft of motor vehicle, an offence that could result in seven years' jail and a fine.

Police investigations are ongoing against the remaining 16-year-old male teenager.

Police advisory

The police advised all motor vehicle owners not to leave their keys or transponders unattended, to park in well-lit areas, and to remove valuables before leaving their vehicles.

Here is a picture of what I imagine my future looks like.

I'm at home with the baby. I cook and clean, feed and soothe. Maybe squeeze in a grocery run.

While the baby naps, I scribble out a few half-hearted lines for an article I probably won't have time to finish. I water the plants. I fantasise about getting a full eight hours' sleep.

Then the baby wakes, and I do it all over again.

Privilege

Please do not misunderstand. This future that I imagine shows not suffering, but privilege.

My husband and I want a child. So it is a privilege if I get to do so. It is a privilege if I can afford to take time off work; if I can stay home and look after my child, instead of delegating them to a helper or infant care.

This is something that I will choose with both eyes open. That, if offered to me, I will take without second thought.

But the existence of privilege does not mean the absence of sacrifice.

On May 4, Minister Indranee Rajah appeared in a CNA podcast, speaking about women who take career breaks to have children.

Women "may have to take some time out along the way", but the government will do its best to get them back on their career trajectory, she said.

Indranee, who chairs the Marriage & Parenthood Reset Workgroup, added, in an address to aspiring parents:

"In an ideal world, what we would hope is that that time out is not seen as a loss, or a sacrifice.

It is seen as a detour... a detour in which you gain something, something priceless and invaluable, which is your family.

And it still allows you to get back onto the path that you wanted."

As an aspiring parent myself, I'd like to say: Thank you for the thought, but this isn't something a policy can address fully.

Today I am 29 years old, and my life is all my own. I am competent, I am passionate, I am promising.

But where my male colleagues see an infinite horizon, I only see flatness. This is not a perception problem.

To use the minister's analogy of a path: my career is an alpine trail. There is an ascent and a descent, both steep.

And I am so very near the peak.

The difference

The picture changes, a few years later.

Now, I make time for paragraphs instead of lines. I spend my days overseeing my child's education, from kindergarten to swim classes to music practice.

Some days I even get to sleep through the night.

At home, my husband does far more housework than my father or my grandfather ever did. He helps feed the baby, reads to them, plays with them.

But his work life looks remarkably unchanged from what it is now. His natural ability has sharpened with experience, his intellect honed to wisdom with parenthood and age.

Maybe he does more difficult work, maybe he earns a little more. Maybe he's a leader in his workplace.

Some days when he ends work early, he manages a quick run before coming home. On weekends, we go to the park, the museum, and the zoo.

Every year or two, we pile into a rental car in Japan and drive around the countryside.

He takes the wheel, and I rock our child to sleep in the backseat.

And at night, I finally get to finish the article I've been working on. I clean it up, buff out the typos, and hit submit.

Success

This is not a story about how a woman gives up her promising career for good and becomes a full-time stay-at-home mum. It is not that diametric.

We're in Singapore, okay? This is what happens when I take — as many of my friends have — just a year or so off. Then switch to part-time work once the baby can walk, then gently transition back to the office once I run out of money and goodwill.

It is not the end. But it may be the start of the end.

Perhaps I have lost what momentum I might have had, with my middling skills bolstered by youth and fire. I can no longer spend all my free time on my career as I used to.

I have responsibilities now, and work will never be a priority again.

It will show when I take days off to nurse my sick child or skip team-bonding events for piano recitals. It will show when I wake up at 6am to make my child breakfast, and make mistakes due to my exhaustion.

It will show, because to imagine that it will not is privileged at best, and delusional at most realistic.

If my talent and time allows, perhaps I will recover some drive and make up for lost ground. Succeed at a project, get a promotion.

But whenever there's something really major, something really long-term, will my bosses pause to consider what happens if I choose to have a second child? If this all happens all over again?

Will they, then, choose to hand the responsibility to my male colleague instead?

Aspirations

It's easy to blame policy, cost-of-living, employers, double-income culture.

But I think that motherhood is inherently sacrificial. We know this through statistics, through anecdotes, when we look at our own mothers. The way their bodies and lives are moulded by their children.

I know I do, when I look at mine.

It's something that neither time nor geography can fully mitigate. Even societies that are purported paragons of equality have a tough time squaring the circle.

Studies in Scandinavian countries show women experience a "child penalty" in earnings compared to men — one that persists up to 20 years after a child's birth.

Neither it is a matter of hunger or drive. A CNBC survey in 2024 showed that women in the U.S. face significant setbacks in pay and promotions.

48 per cent of respondents maintained that they were "very ambitious", while 40 per cent described themselves as "somewhat ambitious". The penalty applied either way.

The line

Minister Indranee, I do not imagine that any of this is unknown to you.

You are a woman in a position of great power, one that you have surely worked your ass off to achieve. It would be foolish to deny your skill, your intellect, your labour.

But this is not an argument about phrasing or policy.

I am not missing the point on purpose. I understand what the government is trying to do: normalising these breaks, reducing the friction. I appreciate every bit of it, and even being a woman in the workforce today, I am a beneficiary of these efforts.

I have nothing against viewing motherhood as a "career detour". It is inherently a better scenario than seeing it as career suicide.

But there is always going to be a line: demarcating separate paths for men and women, when it comes to work and family.

Motherhood has been a sacrifice since the dawn of time. As the centuries pass, these sacrifices have changed (and I daresay lessened). Women are more independent, we have more options, we die a lot less in childbirth.

It is tempting to view this as a never-ending joyride of progress. But to do so, I think, would be a disservice to the Singaporean pragmatism we all know and love.

Becoming a mother means reshaping your life's expectations and aspirations. As a woman who plans on having a child, I know that my success has obsolescence built into its very bones.

But I also know that it will be all worth it, in the end.

A 31-year-old Filipino woman was sentenced to four weeks’ jail after she stole 20 bottles of alcoholic drinks worth S$1,216 from a supermarket in Novena.

Alosado Anamie Sorro reportedly stole the drinks on 12 separate occasions between Apr. 20 and May 15, 2026, Shin Min Daily News reported.

At the time of the offence, Sorro was working in Singapore on a work permit.

She pleaded guilty to one charge of theft.

Alcohol

In charge sheets seen by Mothership, she stole the alcohol from the NTUC Fairprice supermarket in Square 2 at Sinaran Drive.

Sorro stole five bottles of Chivas Regal Blue valued at S$118.00 each, five bottles of Chivas Regal valued at S$60.00 each, seven bottles of Jinro Green Grape soju valued at S$10.00 each, two bottles of Jack Daniel’s Whiskey valued at S$113.00 each, and a bottle of Brown Brother’s Sparkling Moscato Rose valued at S$30.00.

The value of the drinks amounted to S$1,216.

On each occasion, she transferred the bottles of alcohol from the supermarket's shopping basket into her own blue shopping trolley and left the store without paying for them.

Discrepancies

On May 15, the manager of the supermarket noticed discrepancies during a stock check.

He proceeded to review surveillance footage and discovered Sorro's actions.

He then lodged a police report.

Returned

On the next day, May 16, Sorro returned to the supermarket.

The manager recognised her and detained her before alerting the police.

Sorro was subsequently arrested.

The police recovered 14 of the stolen bottles.

She claimed that the remaining bottles were either given away to friends or had been consumed.

No restitution has been made.

Sentencing

During sentencing on Jun. 8, Sorro said she was remorseful and apologetic for her actions.

She said she hoped to return home and reunite with her family as soon as possible.

The Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) has explained why "Xs" were used, instead of other characters like an asterisk, to mask certain letters in PayNow users' display names.

Responding to Mothership’s queries, Ong-Ang Ai Boon, Director of ABS, said that they are aware of the feedback that some PayNow users’ display names now feature unintended words following the introduction of masked names in place of nicknames.

Some PayNow users, such as those with surnames like “See”, found that their masked names now contained the word “SEX”.

In a statement on Jun. 9, Ong explained that “Xs” instead of asterisks were used to mask the names of users as not all PayNow-related systems across its 29 participating institutions currently support special characters.

“The letter ‘X’ was chosen to mask certain letters as it is widely recognised as a symbol for something concealed or missing, and visually resembles a cross-out mark,” Ong-Ang continued.

“ABS decided on this approach to swiftly disable a tool being exploited by scammers while maintaining a smooth PayNow experience,” Ong-Ang shared.

Ong-Ang also said: “We seek customers’ understanding and will continue to review feedback for future improvements.”