A flight to Canada was cancelled after a toddler refused to put on a seatbelt.

According to Fox News, the plane had left the terminal and was headed for the runway when a crew member noticed a child standing in their seat.

Attempts by the accompanying adult and crew to get the child buckled failed.

The airline said they could not take off in this condition.

By the time the family was removed, the flight had exceeded the runway closure timing, and the passengers had to be rebooked to a flight the next day.

The flight

The flight was Porter Airlines flight 444, scheduled to depart Victoria International Airport in British Columbia for Toronto at 10:30pm.

In a statement to Fox News Digital, Porter Airlines said: "A young child was standing in their seat and would not secure their seatbelt."

The airline said neither the adult travelling with the child nor the crew managed to get the child buckled, and that the aircraft could not take off in an unsafe condition.

The crew decided to return to the terminal and have them disembark.

Why the flight was scrapped entirely

Victoria International Airport has a takeoff curfew of 12:30am.

By the time the passengers in question and their luggage had been taken off the plane and the necessary paperwork completed, there was no longer time to depart.

The flight was cancelled, and the remaining passengers had to stay the night.

They were rebooked onto a flight the following day.

Porter said: "We apologise for the effect this had on other passengers."

Under-twos need a restraint

Porter requires a child safety seat or restraint device for children under two.

It is unclear how old the child in this case was, according to Fox News Digital.

]]> 1164498 https://mothership.sg/2026/08/tan-kiat-how-3rd-kid/ 2026-08-10T18:20:59 https://mothership.sg/2026/08/tan-kiat-how-3rd-kid/

Member of Parliament (MP) and Senior Minister of State of Health and Digital Development and Information Tan Kiat How, 49, had a very eventful National Day Parade (NDP).

Recounting the very eventful NDP on his social media, Tan called it their best National Day gift.

'Baby was patient enough': Tan

"Towards the end of the show, my wife's water started leaking. Thankfully, baby was patient enough for Isaac and Ayla to enjoy the parade till the very end — fireworks, pledge and all!"

The two then dropped their children off at home after the show, before packing their bags and heading to the hospital.

"This morning, Micah was born."

He also thanked the "wonderful doctors and nurses" who took good care of his wife and Micah through the night and this morning.

Tan has two other children, Isaac and Ayla. Ayla was born in 2023.

Netizens congratulate him

Following Tan's announcement, netizens congratulated him on the new addition to his family.

One called it a "blessing" and another said that would now be an "auspicious day".

A 47-year-old man has been jailed eight months and three weeks after he fetched two swords from his flat and challenged two colleagues to a duel.

The man, Hong Weiping (transliterated), pleaded guilty to five charges including possession of a deadly weapon, attempting to cause hurt with a dangerous weapon, and committing a rash act causing hurt, according to Shin Min Daily News.

Another 10 charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

It started with a joke about freeloading

On the evening of May 22, 2025, Hong was drinking with two colleagues at a coffee shop at Block 530 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10 from around 7pm.

After he had downed 10 beers, his two colleagues joked that he was only there for the free food and drinks. Hong took offence, got up, and went home.

The colleagues later called and asked him to return to the coffee shop. He told them he was already home, and suggested they meet downstairs at his block instead. They agreed.

Two swords, thrown on the ground

According to Shin Min, Hong took two swords from his flat and headed back downstairs.

At around 9:45pm, he spotted his two colleagues driving their vans into the carpark and approached them.

He threw both swords onto the ground and told them to each pick one up, saying he would fight them with his bare hands.

Neither got out of their vehicle.

Hong then picked the swords back up, walked over to the two vans, and struck each of them with the sword handles while shouting.

The two colleagues drove off, and he chased after them for a few metres with the swords before stopping and going home.

Four members of the public saw him wielding the two swords and immediately called the police.

Five swords and a katana at home

Investigations revealed that Hong was in illegal possession of five swords and a katana, all kept at his flat in Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1, per Shin Min.

Two days later, he threw chairs at a coffee shop

Shin Min reported that at around 7:30am on May 24, 2025, Hong caused another disturbance, this time at a coffee shop at Block 407 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 10.

A man was walking past with his parents when Hong suddenly became agitated and threw a plastic chair, hitting the man in the mouth.

A coffee shop assistant who stepped in to help was hit in the head by another chair.

When the man's father and the assistant tried to stop him, Hong punched both of them.

A man responsible for looking after a nearby shrine came over to check, and Hong hurled abuse at him before throwing a chair that hit his arm.

Hong was arrested at the scene and taken to Woodlands Police Station, where he continued shouting and swearing at officers.

A 42-year-old Chinese national was sentenced to 13 months and two weeks' jail after he booked rooms at a Serangoon hotel for women to provide sexual services.

Liu Daodong, who was also fined S$3,000, also aided a 19-year-old in getting 70 customers in nine days.

Shin Min Daily News reported he pleaded guilty on Aug. 7 to three charges, which included living off the proceeds of others' prostitution as well as violating the Women's Charter.

He reportedly took a S$40 commission for each client he recruited.

Various offences

Charge sheets seen by Mothership stated that from May 30, 2024, to Jun. 11, 2024, Liu lived in part on the earnings of prostitution of a 29-year-old Chinese national.

Sometime in May 2024, he procured the 19-year-old Chinese national for the purpose of prostitution within Singapore.

Subsequently, on or about Jun. 2, 2024, he received a 19-year-old female Chinese national at Changi Airport, knowing she had entered Singapore for the purpose of prostitution and with intent to aid her in prostitution.

In June 2024, Liu also operated a remote communication service with a Singapore registered mobile number in the course of business that facilitated the provision of sexual services of a 19-year-old female Chinese national.

He also lived in part on the earnings of a 19-year-old Chinese national.

In June 2024, Liu received S$35 from a 22-year-old Chinese national working in Singapore as a prostitute, as a reward for assisting her in extending her hotel room in Serangoon where he had a corporate rate of S$165.

Separately in June 2024, Liu received S$140 from a 40-year-old female Chinese national as a reward for assisting her in extending her hotel room.

In the same month, he also received 2,500 yuan (about S$474) for posting an online advertisement about sexual services.

Police operation

Shin Min reported that at about 6:30pm on Jun. 11, 2024, police conducted an anti-prostitution operation at a hotel in Serangoon.

Liu, as well as four women were arrested on the spot, with condoms and lubricants seized.

Four women admitted that they provided sexual services at the hotel.

According to Shin Min, the investigation found Liu to be responsible for booking hotel rooms for them and arranging client appointments.

He also collected money on their behalf and published prostitution advertisements.

One 19-year-old woman testified that she originally worked for a prostitution ring in Macau.

Arrangement with woman

The woman, who was not satisfied with the original commission deduction of S$100 per client, she met Liu through a friend.

Upon learning that his commission deduction was lower, only S$40 per client, she decided to switch to that arrangement.

Both parties then reached an agreement via video conference in May 2024.

The woman would pay for her own airfare and accommodation in Singapore, and Liu would arrange for her to have cheaper accommodation, Shin Min reported.

When she arrived in Singapore on Jun. 2, 2024, Liu picked her up at the airport, took her to buy a SIM card, and accompanied her to check in at the hotel.

He then took over her phone number used to contact clients and arrange appointments, after which he notified her of clients' arrival times using WeChat.

She would then notify Liu after the transaction had been completed so they could count the number of clients for the day.

Solicit business

In an attempt to help a woman solicit business, Liu contacted a website and posted advertisements for her.

He even applied for a "number-search service", Shin Min reported.

This meant the woman's number was added to a chat group where fellow members would check if potential clients were familiar customers.

It supposedly reduced the risk of getting caught by law enforcement officers who could be posing as clients.

Liu subsequently provided the website administrator with photos of the woman, her age, price, as well as information about her sexual services.

He then collected 2,500 yuan (about S$474) in advertising fees from the woman.

70 customers in 9 days

Shin Min reported that the woman had 70 customers in nine days, where Liu took a S$3,000 commission.

The woman provided such services from Jun. 3, 2024, to Jun. 11, 2024.

On top of helping to solicit customers for the woman, Liu also bought food and medicine for her and acted as her guarantor for insurance.

After getting arrested, Liu had been granted bail on Jul. 17, 2024, Shin Min reported.

However, given that he violated his bail conditions by contacting the 19-year-old woman, the court revoked it on Aug. 3, 2024.

He was then detained while awaiting trial.

A 95-year-old coffee shop in Segamat, Johor, has filed a police report after a Facebook page with 297,000 followers implied it was serving pork, based on a noodle listed on its menu.

The dish in question was Mee Pok Sup. Mee pok is a flat noodle, with "pok" meaning flat in Teochew.

What the post said

According to The Rakyat Post, the owner of Nan Yang Coffee Shop found the post on Aug. 7. It had been published by a page called Halal inquiry Company direktori. It describes itself as a halal awareness and company directory page and lists itself as based in Johor Bahru.

The post did not directly allege that the shop sold pork.

It noted that "orang M" had been seen eating at the premises, and circled the words "Mee Pok Sup” on a screenshot of the menu.

The shorthand is commonly read as referring to either Malay or Muslim customers.

Police report and MCMC complaint

The shop owner filed a police report at the Segamat police station on Aug. 7, and separately lodged a complaint with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission saying the post was misleading and had damaged its reputation.

The Facebook page took the post down and later issued an apology, acknowledging errors and misunderstanding in what it had written.

The apology, however, came with a notice that the page had restricted who could comment on it. No such limit had been placed on the original post.

The shop owner asked why the public could freely discuss the original post but were denied the same space for the correction.

The shop's position

Nan Yang Coffee Shop published its own statement, confirming that it uses neither pork nor lard in its dishes.

It added that it does not hold JAKIM halal certification, and has never claimed otherwise.

The statement also confirmed that mee pok is a Teochew term for flat noodles.

According to the shop, traffic from Malay customers had fallen after the post in question.

What people said

Several commenters said the responsibility for checking halal status falls on Muslim consumers, not on non-Muslim businesses that have never claimed to be certified.

Another took a lighter view, joking that some people could not even tell the difference between "pork" and "pok."

A 34-year-old man was sent to the hospital after he allegedly stabbed himself in Clementi on the afternoon of Aug. 10.

Photos posted on Xiaohongshu showed police tape surrounding the area, with bloodstains visible on the ground.

An officer could be seen speaking to a few people nearby.

Other photos posted on the "SG News Warehouse Sale & Events" Facebook page showed workers who appeared to be cleaning the ground after the incident.

Sent to hospital, investigations ongoing

Responding to Mothership's queries, the police said that at about 12:20pm on Aug. 10, they received a call for assistance at Block 441B Clementi Avenue 3.

When the police arrived, officers found a 34-year-old man lying conscious with injuries believed to be self-inflicted.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told Mothership it received a call for assistance for the same incident.

The 34-year-old man was subsequently conveyed to the hospital and is currently undergoing treatment.

A 56-year-old male member of the public, who had grabbed the man’s knife away and disarmed him prior to the police's arrival, did not sustain injuries.

However, he was also conveyed conscious to the hospital as a precautionary measure.

SCDF conveyed a person to the National University Hospital and another person to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

Police investigations are ongoing.

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 former Thai MP has surrendered to police after allegedly shooting the president of a provincial administrative organisation and his driver on the morning of Aug. 10.

Chalong Riaowrang, a former Nonthaburi MP, allegedly shot Nonthaburi Provincial Administrative Organisation (PAO) president Pol. Col. Thongchai Yenprasert at around 10:20am, according to Khaosod English.

How it happened

Thongchai was preparing to leave the Nonthaburi PAO office at the Nonthaburi Provincial Government Complex when the shooting took place.

Police said in their initial findings that Chalong had been waiting for Thongchai, then walked up to his car and knocked on the window. Thongchai lowered it to speak to him, and Chalong allegedly drew a firearm and started shooting.

Thongchai was shot four times, including in vital areas. His driver was also hit.

Both men were given emergency treatment at the scene by rescue workers from the Nonthaburi City Municipality before they were taken to Phra Nang Klao Hospital.

Thongchai later passed away.

Walked away, then surrendered

Staff at the nearby Nonthaburi Provincial Public Health Office reportedly filmed Chalong with a firearm in hand, which he then tucked into his waistband before leaving the scene.

He later surrendered at a police station.

Reported 11 million baht dispute

A possible motive surfaced after the shooting, when Chalong reportedly called media personality Anjalee while she was hosting a programme.

She said Chalong admitted to her that he had shot the PAO president, and that he had let off four or five rounds before leaving the area.

His grievance, according to her account, was that he had backed the other side and requested 11 million Baht (S$426,837), only to be told there was nothing for him.

He felt he had been badly treated, decided to shoot Thongchai, and told her he intended to surrender.

Khaosod English noted that these claims have not been independently verified, and that police have not confirmed a motive.

Investigation ongoing

Nonthaburi Governor Chettha Mosikarat inspected the scene alongside the deputy governor, the deputy commander of the Nonthaburi Provincial Police, and officers from Rattanathibet Police Station.

The area has been sealed off, with police gathering evidence and speaking to witnesses. Investigations are ongoing.

A 50-year-old customer who complained that her S$9 cai fan meal at a Punggol hawker centre was "too expensive" was reportedly told by the stall's staff that the meal was a "two-person serving".

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, the woman, Liang (transliterated), said the incident occurred on Jul. 30.

4 dishes, 1 porridge

She was visiting the hawker centre with her daughter, and ordered a bowl of white porridge, accompanied by four dishes — glass noodles with tofu, egg tofu, scrambled eggs and broccoli.

Liang also asked for an empty extra bowl to share the food with her daughter as she was worried about not being able to finish it.

She was then charged S$9, which comprised of S$8 for the dishes and S$1 for the porridge.

"The price list at the stall clearly states that each ordinary dish costs S$1 or S$1.50, and each bowl of congee costs S$1," she said.

"Even if you calculate based on four ordinary dishes, the total amount is only S$5 to S$7."

Serving for 2 people

Upon questioning the staff, they explained that they charged S$2 per dish since they saw her eating with her daughter.

The portions were also supposedly larger, Shin Min reported.

Liang said, however, that she did not request an increase in the amount of food and had only asked for an extra bowl.

She also claimed that another customer was only charged S$5.80 for two dishes and one meat dish, and this made her feel that the staff's explanation was unreasonable.

As such, she reportedly filed a complaint with the hawker centre management.

Price list

Upon visiting the stall, Shin Min found a price list.

It stated that vegetables, eggs and tofu were priced between S$1 and S$1.50, ordinary meats were priced between S$1 and S$2.50.

The most expensive steamed fish tail was priced between S$6 and S$10.

According to Shin Min, a stall employee initially said that he would give "two portions" on his own initiative.

However, he reportedly said later that he heard the food was for two people to eat.

Employee remembered customers

A female employee told Shin Min that she still remembered the mother and daughter.

She had reportedly given them a double portion of food as per their usual practice after seeing that there were two of them.

At the time, the kitchen was noisy, she said, adding that she thought she heard a customer say that she wanted two servings.

“Trace Project”, an AI-generated sci-fi feature film, premiered on Aug. 9, 2026.

It was the 64-minute movie's only scheduled public screening in Singapore.

In the lead-up to its release, it received backlash online, with some referring to it as “AI slop” and criticising it as an “insult” to the local film industry.

The movie is about Lin Jiajun, an ordinary young man from Singapore, who overcomes social stigma, his humble background, and his father's disapproval to become the nation's first astronaut picked for a historic Mars exploration programme.

I went to watch the AI-generated movie

While others spent the National Day weekend celebrating the festivities or travelling overseas, I decided to watch “Trace Project” in theatres out of curiosity.

I paid a total of S$21.50 for the movie tickets, S$19 for the actual tickets and S$2.50 for online booking convenience fees.

Begged friends

Since it was a public holiday, I also decided to ask a few of my friends, who were aware of the movie's release, if they were willing to watch "Trace Project" with me.

These were their responses:

While most of my friends responded with resounding rejection, only one of my friends, Matthew, was interested in watching “Trace Project”.

After much discussion, he also paid S$21.50 to secure a ticket to the movie.

Attendance

Checks by Mothership revealed that more than 80 per cent of seats for the movie were occupied.

This puzzled me, given the negative sentiments online.

Why would people pay to watch it?

Were they all like me?

Invited guests

Upon arrival on the day of screening, we observed the team at FizzDragon, the production company behind “Trace Project”, handing out tickets to invited audiences.

Those audiences comprised content creators, contributors to the movie and their friends and family.

When I spoke to Pax Chen, the founder and CEO of FizzDragon, she claimed that “around 50 per cent bought the tickets" and "another 50 per cent" were invited.

We also observed a significant number of middle-aged individuals entering the cinema hall.

After purchasing some snacks, we decided to head in.

Addressed the crowd

Before the movie screened, the FizzDragon team greeted the crowd and expressed their gratitude to the audience.

Former People's Action Party (PAP) Member of Parliament Teo Ho Pin also made an appearance and addressed the crowd.

He shared about Singapore’s aspirations “to be a smart nation and a city of dreams”, and he hoped this movie could be a way to “inspire our people to be creative and dream” to achieve this.

The movie commenced soon after.

Review

“Trace Project” felt lacklustre and was genuinely underwhelming.

While the plot of the movie aimed to be inspiring, the movie’s AI-generated visuals and directorial approach severely undermined the story.

The pacing of the movie felt quick, with too many disruptive jump cuts and inadequate exposition.

The movie lacked any notable narrative structure, leaving a lot of plot holes to fill.

This was detrimental in establishing its protagonist, Lin Jia Jun.

Noticeable errors and visual defects due to the AI models used were also present throughout the movie.

At some points, Lin would bear the Singapore flag on his sleeves when he was on Mars.

The flag would frequently show mistakes.

Such examples include the flag featuring six to eight stars instead of five, and it would occasionally morph into a foreign flag.

The portrayal of the characters also felt unnatural.

On some occasions, the voice “actors” would mispronounce words such as “kilometre” and “acknowledged”.

The AI model used felt outdated too.

Sentiments

I was not alone in these sentiments either.

One of those moviegoers whom I spoke to, a 15-year-old who chose to remain anonymous, told me he paid to watch “Trace Project” as he was curious.

When asked about his views on the movie, he said it was “horrible as there were so many mistakes”.

“I am never watching anything AI-generated ever again,” he added.

Matthew, who sat beside me during the screening, expressed disappointment with the movie's creativity when I asked him about the movie.

He criticised the movie’s pace and the depictions of the characters.

“They act so unnatural, so non-human-like that it's distracting all the way through. From start to finish, you are constantly told, this is AI-generated, this is AI-generated,” he said.

Matthew also said he regretted watching the movie.

He felt he could have done something else, he said: “Instead, I decided, hey, why not torture ourselves for today?”

Reviews online also revealed similar reactions.

Unintentionally funny

However, some felt that its lacklustre quality made it “comedic”.

Brian, a 25-year-old who also paid to watch “Trace Project”, told me that if audiences were to “approach this more as a comedy than an actual drama”, it made the movie “quite entertaining”.

“The movie has a lot of plot holes and unresolved storylines. But if you just forget about all that and just think about what goofy lines the characters are saying, you'll have quite a good time,” he said.

Proof of concept

After the screening concluded, FizzDragon held a question-and-answer session.

While moviegoers asked questions, such as the production timelines and the cost and profit made from producing the movie, others also queried the team on the visual defects and errors in the movie.

FizzDragon claimed that while most of the visuals were AI-generated, the script was mainly human-written.

They also acknowledged the mistakes and said the movie took about two to three months to produce.

The team also admitted that they “rushed” it so that the movie could be premiered on National Day.

“We see a lot of things need to be improved,” Chen said.

However, FizzDragon assured that it would make adequate rectifications for the movie.

Some of the movie's audiences also viewed the premiere as a proof of concept rather than a final product.

Juan, a film producer in his 50s who attended the movie via an invite, said this movie is a “work in progress”.

“While it is quite lauded that AI can take us so far. I think generally certain storytelling nuances and context still fall a bit short, but I'm also very aware that perhaps the team also understands that,” he said.

“I think the spirit behind the company and the creators is actually good because I think they know that everything is a work in progress and they are willing to continue to improve what they have,” Juan added.

Juan also said he supported FizzDragon, claiming its moves were “rather progressive”.

When asked if the movie was indeed a proof of concept, Chen assured it was a “finalised project” that “can be improved along the way”.

“This is the magic of AIGC (AI-generated content). You can always improve along the way,” she added.

Art

Ultimately, the backlash to this movie was warranted to a certain extent.

As someone who has been involved in the production of short films and videos, I did initially share similar sentiments.

While FizzDragon pushed the use of generative AI as a way of minimising production costs, I feel that the art of creating a film should be based on human ingenuity and passion.

Matthew felt the same.

“Art is not labour in the same way that construction, automation, and manufacturing are laborious. People make art because they love it. The labour of love is why artists create, every detail, every design, made with intention.” he said.

“I can't help but flinch throughout the film. I really despise AI-generated imagery,” he added.

What is good?

While the negative aspects mainly revolved around the use of AI for the movie, the only good part was its storyline of showcasing a lofty Singaporean ambition.

However, as FizzDragon said, the script was mainly produced by humans.

If a production team were to make a full-fledged feature film with adequate pacing and exposition combined with creative cinematography while using the plot of “Trace Project”, I believe the movie would have potentially performed well.

However, this kind of creativity requires human ingenuity and does not necessarily rely on trained data.

After all, cinematic flourishes such as the transitions in Park Chan-Wook films, the step-printing effects in movies directed by Wong Kar-wai, or the Singaporean-tailored narratives in Jack Neo’s films were all made through human ingenuity.

There is a chance that AI-generated movies will feel generic and soulless without those flourishes.

Until then, the best part of “Trace Project” was that it made me feel something so strongly.

Which is human.

Chinese actress Liu Xiaoqing is being sued for 5.04 million Yuan (S$950,000) by her former assistant, who alleges the two were romantically involved and lived together for six years.

Gu Ke, who is 38 years younger than the 75-year-old actress, filed the suit at Beijing's Chaoyang District People's Court, according to Lianhe Zaobao.

What he alleges

Gu says the two began a relationship after they started working together in 2015, and that he moved into her home the following year. He claims their cohabitation lasted six years, and that Liu called him "baby" during that time.

He says he took on multiple roles beyond photography, working as her driver, housekeeper and social media manager, and describes the arrangement as both a romantic relationship and a business partnership.

Gu maintains he was not a kept man, and argues that his salary of 10,000 Yuan a month (S$1,900) was not reasonable given the scope of the work. He is seeking the shortfall in wages, along with overtime pay and interest.

He also claims that the relationship broke down in 2021, after he was refused when he sought to borrow money to start a business. He claims he was then blocked and told to move out of the property.

Her response

Liu has denied his account.

She says there was no relationship and no cohabitation, and that theirs was strictly an employer and employee arrangement.

She maintains that his wages were settled in full with nothing outstanding.

She has accused Gu of demanding a large sum without evidence, and said she would not give him "a single cent."

The case is currently in court mediation, Zaobao reported.