Indonesian media outlet The Jakarta Post published a commentary piece on Nov. 3 urging Indonesia to not turn "shared problems into nationalist confrontations".

The article title read: "Indonesia returns to old habit of blaming and bullying Singapore".

The commentary comes after recent tensions between Singapore and Indonesia over cross-border haze and natural gas exports.

The Jakarta Post's piece, written by Abdul Khalik of Omong-Omong Media, called for the country to demonstrate that it can "govern itself effectively, protect its citizens and capture a fair share of the value its economy creates".

The returning haze

Jakarta Post noted that Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto has treated complaints about the haze as "insults to Indonesia".

"But what exactly should Indonesia be proud of when its forests continue to burn, its people breathe polluted air and neighboring countries suffer the consequences?"

The outlet also highlighted that behind the fires are "powerful commercial interests that profit while ordinary people pay the price".

The transboundary haze has also affected Singapore, which has since enacted its Transboundary Haze Pollution Act to hold companies accountable.

However, this has been portrayed as "an affront to Indonesian sovereignty", Jakarta Post noted.

"Yet Singapore has a legitimate responsibility to protect its citizens from pollution crossing its borders," it stated.

Cutting natural gas exports

It was previously announced that Indonesia will begin cutting natural gas exports to Singapore by 31 billion British thermal units per day (BBTUD) from Oct. 24.

Indonesia's Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia also stated on Nov. 3 that the country could continue exporting electricity to Singapore, provided the transaction price is advantageous for Indonesia.

Jakarta Post acknowledged in its article that the Indonesian government has a legitimate obligation to secure energy for domestic supply.

However, it noted that the reduction came amid "increasingly confrontational rhetoric about countries that supposedly fail to respect Indonesia".

While the gas decision was not explicitly linked to the haze dispute, the timing raises questions about whether "economic interdependence is becoming another instrument of political signaling," it said.

"A confident government explains its constraints, establishes transparent rules and negotiates adjustments. It does not turn every disagreement into a test of national respect."

Just days earlier on Oct. 28, Singapore foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan met Prabowo during his visit to Jakarta, where they committed to working together to tackle issues such as the haze.

Asean cooperation

Jakarta Post called for cooperation among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, saying it cannot afford to have its members turn shared problems into nationalist confrontations.

It urged Prabowo to demonstrate at the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Manila that Indonesia can defend its interests without using regional diplomacy to "distract from failures at home".

While the outlet acknowledged that Indonesia should scrutinise Singapore's commercial and strategic interests when necessary, it also suggested that the country should emulate Singapore’s institutional strengths.

"Indonesia’s challenge is not to prove that it is bigger than Singapore.

It is to demonstrate that a country with extraordinary resources can govern itself effectively, protect its citizens and capture a fair share of the value its economy creates.

Singapore is not the cause of Indonesia’s domestic dysfunction. It is a convenient target for leaders unwilling to confront it."

The government will not mandate personal guarantees for corporate residential tenancies, as "a blanket mandatory rule" would take away flexibility, restrict genuine arrangements and "impose unnecessary burdens on legitimate transactions", said Senior Minister of State for Law and Transport, Murali Pillai, on Nov. 4.

"At the same time, imposing such a requirement might not stop someone determined to cheat, who could appoint a director with no assets to give the guarantee", said Murali.

"All commercial transactions involve some level of risk, so we encourage landlords to conduct due diligence before entering into a tenancy, and there are resources to help them."

Murali was fielding questions in parliament posed by Members of Parliament (MPs) from both sides of the House on safeguards and protections for landlords against tenants, citing the Kembangan rental dispute.

Murali concluded: "While the plight of the elderly landlords in this case deserve our sympathy", the government "must be responsible and strike a coherent balance in the law".

Questions posed

Before the parliamentary questions were asked, Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng said he wanted to highlight that the questions are related to the case of Noranth Ventures Pte. Ltd. versus Loo Kin Ben & Anor that may be pending in court, advising members to exercise caution.

People's Action Party (PAP) MP for Yio Chu Kang, Yip Hon Weng, asked whether the government will consider legislative measures to hold directors personally liable or mandate personal guarantees for corporate residential tenancies and what legal safeguards will prevent exploitation of corporate structures to delay eviction and property recovery.

Workers' Party (WP) MP for Aljunied, Fadli Fawzi, also questioned whether the government will consider introducing legislative measures to afford greater protection to landlords against tenants who enter into tenancy agreements with no intention of paying rent.

Law does not allow companies to be used as cover for fraud

In response, Murali explained how companies lease residential properties for legitimate reasons and noted that when a company signs a lease, it is liable for the rent and not its directors or shareholders.

He called it a "fundamental principle of company law, and it facilitates the conduct of business."

"However, the law does not allow companies to be used as a cover for fraud, or allow the individuals who set up the companies to evade responsibilities."

Besides possible criminal penalties, those involved can be made personally responsible for the company's debts, Murali added.

Murali noted that where the court finds fraudulent or wrongful trading, "the court can disregard the corporate form where it is abused for an improper purpose."

Hence, Murali said the law already provides safeguards and that "landlords are already free to require personal guarantees from directors or other individuals before leasing their properties to companies".

He added that landlords can decide whether to do so based on their assessment of risks of each tenancy.

The ongoing Kembangan case in question

Murali began by highlighting, "As the court proceedings are ongoing, I will confine my comments on the case to what is in the judgement, and then set out what the authorities are doing."

In the Kembangan case, a company leased a house from an elderly couple for S$7,500 a month, paying rent for only one month and half the deposit before stopping payments.

He said that one of the company's directors continued living in the home with his family, and when the family tried to take back their home, his company applied to the court to stop them.

The district court later dismissed the company's application as a plain abuse of process and found that the man had allegedly devised a deliberate scheme to rent the house with no intention of paying rent, following a similar pattern in other tenancies.

"The official receiver is also investigating possible fraudulent trading and wrongful trading offences, and the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA) is also looking into potential breaches of the Companies Act by the relevant entities and individuals."

The official receiver is a public officer appointed by the High Court, whose role includes investigating wrongful trading offences, acting as liquidator in compulsory winding-up cases, and overseeing private liquidators.

Those found guilty may face a sentence of 10 years' jail, a fine, or caning or both.

“As investigations are ongoing. I will not say more. Nothing I have said should be taken as a view on whether an offence has been committed,” Murali said.

According to the Judiciary's website, the next case conference for the case is on Nov. 11, 2026.

Resources for landlords

Murali pointed to resources for landlords, including a checklist published by the Council for Estate Agencies on residential rental transactions.

The checklist for renting to a corporate tenant also includes verifying the company's registration details with ACRA.

Murali also highlighted the Distress Act where landlords can go to court without notice to claim for errors in rent for subsisting tenancies for expedited proceedings for recovery of arrears in rent.

"The burden on us on this side of the house in government is to go beyond expressing sympathies to these two groups of people... and see whatever policies we implement in favour of one would not unduly burden the other."

Murali concluded, saying the government will continue regularly reviewing the law and make adjustments where needed.

James Talarico has become the senator of Texas.

The 37-year-old beat Republican Attorney-General Ken Paxton to become the first Democratic candidate to win a statewide election in Texas since 1994, reported US news outlet NBC.

In response to the result, Talarico made a post on Instagram, simply writing "Texas forever."

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by James Talarico (@jamestalarico)

Talarico was a middle school teacher in San Antonio before winning a seat in the Texas House of Representatives in 2018.

NBC reported that his campaign message drew on aspects of his Christian faith, winning over Republican voters unhappy with the status quo.

In March, he defeated U.S. Representative Jasmine Crockett to secure the Democratic nomination.

Message

According to NBC, he managed to flip the state blue despite his opponent spending US$168 million (S$214 million) on advertisements.

He campaigned on a “top versus bottom instead of left versus right” message, calling on supporters to focus on the U.S.' wealth divide rather than an ideological split. 

In particular, he took aim at Elon Musk, who was a major donor and backer of Paxton, invoking biblical imagery by framing it as a David-versus-Goliath battle.

Talarico accused Musk, who has data centre-related business interests in Texas, of attempting to "buy" a Senate seat, and alleged that Paxton was funded by "one dude".

He continued in his campaign speech:

"Elon Musk wants our land. He wants our water. He wants our tax dollars. He wants his very own personal United States senator. He is trying to buy Texas. But on Nov. 3, we are going to deliver a crystal clear message to the world’s first trillionaire: Texas is not for sale.”

As for the Republican side, ads supporting Paxton also claimed that Talarico had said that God was "nonbinary" and that there were six sexes.

Paxton's unpopularity

Talarico's victory also came against the backdrop of infighting amongst the Republicans.

Four-term Senator John Cornyn finished just ahead of Paxton in the March primary, but neither secured a majority.

U.S. President Donald Trump ultimately endorsed Paxton a week before the May runoff, leading Paxton to win the nomination, reported the BBC.

However, Paxton proved unpopular even with the Republican establishment and voter base.

Paxton, who has a slew of personal scandals, was impeached by the Texan legislature in 2023 and is estranged from his wife, who cited a divorce on "biblical grounds".

Cornyn ultimately never publicly endorsed Paxton.

Two members of the Bush family – of former Republican U.S. president George Bush – publicly declared their support for Talarico.

Trump remained vocal in the race, making several attacks on Talarico by calling him "Tala-freako" and alleging that he was vegan.

In an interview, Talarico said the following about Paxton:

“Yes, Ken Paxton is a child of God. He is my brother in Christ. It doesn’t mean there’s not accountability, right? Love requires accountability.”

The Democratic Party is now all but certain to retake both bodies of Congress, the national legislature by flipping both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate after Nov. 3’s midterm elections in the United States.

The governing Republican Party held a slim four-seat majority in the House and a three-majority in the Senate prior to the elections, but outlets like NBC News are projecting a significant majority in the House and at least 51 seats in the Senate for the opposition Democrats.

Result projections

NBC News, as of noon Singapore time, expected the Democrats to win 252 seats in Congress, as opposed to 183 Republican seats, giving them a majority of 69.

It is also projecting at least 51 seats in the Senate for the Democrats, with several seats yet to be called and at least one, Alaska, yet to begin counting.

House Minority Leader Hakim Jeffries, likely to become the first black Speaker of the House in the new term, has posted on social media, declaring Donald Trump and his administration to be “shook”.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (@repjeffries)

Winning the House will give the Democrats control over its committees, giving them agenda-setting and subpoena powers, as well as power over appropriations, making it more difficult for the Trump administration to fund its policy initiatives.

Meanwhile, winning the Senate will give the Democrats significant power to check President Donald Trump's agenda, but perhaps none more crucial than limiting his ability to appoint Supreme Court justices, especially in an environment where the court looks likely to see a few retirements or need replacements.

Significant majority

It has been accepted for months that the Democrats will likely take control of the House, given the narrow Republican majority and their unpopularity.

The only question has been how large the majority would be.

As the Republicans have learnt over the past year, a slim majority means that the more radical aspects of the party have greater influence over legislation.

As Adrian Ang, coordinator of RSIS’s United States programme, told Mothership, a larger Democratic majority will mean that moderate elements of the party will have the greatest weight.

“There is going to have to be a lot of intra-party bargaining as to what the party’s legislative priorities will be for the next Congress.”

The Senate

However, observers were more circumspect about the Democrats winning in the Senate.

In any major election year, about one third of the Senate's 100 seats are up for election, as well as any special elections that might be held to replace retiring or deceased Senators.

Many of these seats for 2026 were in states considered to be "safe" for Republicans, like Texas, Kansas and South Carolina, which Donald Trump won with large majorities in the 2024 presidential election.

Furthermore, the Democrats are in opposition, meaning that even if they managed to tie in the Senate at 50-50, Vice President JD Vance would be able to break ties for the Republicans, meaning that the Democrats would have to win at least four seats to gain control of the Senate.

But with many battleground states turning favour of the Democrats, it looks all but certain that not only will they win a majority, it might end up being a sizeable one as well, although unlikely to be over the 60 seats needed to break the filibuster.

Unpopular parties

The result is credited to U.S. President Donald Trump’s massive unpopularity due to the rising cost of living and carrying out military strikes on Iran despite campaigning against foreign wars; his party has suffered in the midterm polling.

The vote appears to be more a rebuke of the Republicans and the president than an endorsement of the Democrats, with the party only marginally more popular than their opponents.

Ang also noted that in all but three examples, the party of the president traditionally looses seats during midterm elections.

However, Trump still wields executive power, including over foreign policy, which could see clashes with the new Congress in the days to come.

After getting his 19-year-old girlfriend pregnant, a cadet at the U.S. military academy West Point wanted her to get an abortion.

The girlfriend, also a cadet, disagreed and wanted to keep the baby.

The cadet then impersonated his girlfriend and purchased abortion pills from an online pharmacy.

He then forcibly administered the pills via her mouth and vagina after drugging her in her dorm room.

The woman later suffered a miscarriage.

He went on to graduate from Cornell University and enroll in Columbia University.

The woman is now seeking damages in U.S. courts after the man pleaded guilty in June 2026.

Relationship at military academy

The case began in August 2020, when the woman arrived at West Point as a freshman cadet.

She is known only as Jane Doe in a court document filed by her lawyers with the New York state supreme court.

The man, Caleb Suh, was a sophomore cadet and assigned to mentor Jane and another freshman cadet.

Suh would visit Jane's room unannounced under the guise of "checking in".

He then pursued a romantic relationship with Jane, and the two began dating around October 2020.

Pregnancy

In January 2022, Jane learned that she was pregnant with Suh's child.

The two disagreed on whether to keep the child.

Suh repeatedly demanded that Jane get an abortion, but Jane wanted to carry the pregnancy to term.

Suh told Jane that he would commit suicide if she did not get an abortion.

He later appeared to have a change of heart and expressed support for the pregnancy.

While appearing to support Jane's decision, Suh took a photo of her identification and opened an account in her name with an online pharmacy.

He then obtained abortion medication and had it delivered to West Point.

He also obtained Xanax and Promethazine, both of which induce sedative effects.

Forcibly administered abortion pills

On Feb. 4, 2022, Suh showed up at Jane's barracks with a bag of what he told her was special pregnancy protein powder.

He stepped out of the room and returned with a bottle of liquid.

Jane took a sip and told Suh that she did not want to finish the drink, but he forced her to drink it.

She later fell asleep and drifted in and out of consciousness.

At one point, Jane awoke and felt something in her gums. She realised they were pills and spat them out.

Suh took the pills and tried to put them back in her mouth, telling her that they were good for her.

He then left Jane alone and returned to his room at around 11pm that night.

Miscarriage

Jane later awoke to find herself bleeding from her vagina. She also experienced vomiting and diarrhoea.

She called the police and was taken to a hospital, where doctors confirmed that she was suffering a miscarriage.

She tried to contact Suh, but Suh did not respond.

He broke up with Jane a few weeks later in March 2022.

Jane reported the experience to the authorities at West Point in May 2022.

It is unclear what disciplinary action Suh faced, CNN reported.

Suh reportedly told a West Point investigator that Jane's miscarriage was accidental and denied ordering abortion medication.

Transferred to Cornell, master's at Columbia

In 2024, about two years after the incident, Suh transferred to Cornell University as an undergraduate.

There, he expressed interest in emergency medicine. He graduated in 2026.

Suh went on to attend a master's programme at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.

In that time, Jane was "forced to grapple with her experience", her lawyers stated in their court filing.

Pleaded guilty to charges in June 2026

On Jun. 30, 2026, Suh admitted to the charges against him, including sedating Jane to administer abortion pills.

Commenting on what happened four years ago on Feb. 4, Suh told the court, "I led her to believe that I had come to support her pregnancy when, in fact, I did not."

At the request of his lawyers, Suh's sentencing was postponed to January 2027 to allow him to complete his semester at Columbia University.

The New York Times reported that Suh is expected to be handed two years in prison.

Columbia University declined to comment citing educational privacy laws, CNN reported.

However, an undisclosed source told CNN that Suh did not mention any disciplinary proceedings in his application.

Fox News reported that the school was unaware of Suh's court case until it was contacted by the New York Times and that the school took swift action, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

Applicants to Columbia are not required to disclose prior criminal convictions, the person said.

Similarly, Cornell University said in a statement that Suh had indicated "no" to an application question which asked if he had been found responsible for any disciplinary violation at any previous educational institution, CNN wrote.

Cornell also said that West Point reported that Suh was in good academic standing and was eligible to return.

Suh's lawyers declined to comment, NBC News reported.

Jane's lawyer told CNN, "She’s suffered a life-changing event that she is still dealing with and will be dealing with for the rest of her life."

The lawyer did not reveal if she graduated from West Point or what she is doing now.

The lawyer also said, “We hope that by our client coming forward with this lawsuit, it will, at least, ensure that this never happens to anyone else."

Maxim Tam Chiak Kopitiam at Block 666 Tampines Street 64 has closed down one year after it opened in October 2025.

An online post about the 24-hour coffee shop's closure appeared on Nov. 1 in the I love Tampines Facebook page.

Tam Chiak Kopitiam is a 24-hour coffee shop chain.

It is co-owned by actor Chew Chor Meng and food blogger Maureen Ow, also known as Miss Tam Chiak, as well as other partners.

Too quiet?

Commenters on the post discussed the closure.

One person said the Tampines GreenCrest area has many new public housing flats, but it could be that there are still not enough residents there to sustain the business.

Another commenter said he drives through the area to get to IKEA and it is like a "ghost town" on the occasions he went past.

A few commenters said they have tried the Jalan Wong Ah Fook Charcoal Curry Fish Head in the coffee shop, with one wondering where it had moved to.

Tam Chiak Kopitiam currently has two outlets remaining at Punggol and Bidadari.

New coffee shop opening in Tengah

A recent September 24 announcement announced that the coffee shop chain is opening a new outlet in Tengah.

It is touted as the biggest Maxim Tam Chiak Kopitiam.

The first Tam Chiak Kopitiam opened in Hougang in July 2023.

It shuttered in May 2026 as the co-owners did not renew its lease.

A 38-year-old German national allegedly assaulted a woman at a condominium in the Katong area in 2024, after which she was hospitalised for a fractured finger.

The accused, Bonkatz Philipp, chose to claim trial and is contesting three charges.

He appeared at the State Courts on Nov. 3, 2026.

The victim identified Philipp as her ex-boyfriend.

The court heard from her about when they met and the circumstances where the alleged offences took place.

Offences

An earlier report mentioned that his offences include allegedly picking the woman up by her crotch and jaw to throw her, as well as biting her finger.

Philipp, who was 36 years old at the time, is alleged to have committed the offences between January and March 2024.

He was charged on Sep. 9, 2024, with two counts of voluntarily causing grievous hurt, one count of voluntarily causing hurt and one count of wrongful confinement.

Whether to plead guilty

On Nov. 3, 2026, Philipp was represented by I.R.B. LAW LLP, with District Judge Shen Wanqin presiding over the trial.

Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Teng Yin Hang told the court that the complainant, his ex-girlfriend, had prepared a document of over 100 pages of recorded calls between Philipp and herself.

The defence indicated that Philipp would be claiming trial.

Court adjourned at about 9:50am for the prosecution and defence to discuss the document.

The trial resumed shortly after 3pm.

The DPP told the court that the parties had an extensive discussion, noting that the defence could give their position on a fresh offer to plead guilty by 4:30pm.

The defence stated that its lead counsel was taking instruction from Philipp as well as speaking to him regarding the consequences if he decided to plead guilty as he was deciding whether to do so.

The DPP also told the court that the prosecution was prepared to call its witness at 4:30pm.

Court adjourned at about 3:12pm.

Prosecution called witness

The trial then resumed at 4:30pm after both parties confirmed the trial would proceed.

The prosecution called Philipp's ex-girlfriend to the stand as its first witness.

A folding panel in front of the dock separated them, a shielding measure that the court implemented as the woman was afraid of Philipp, the prosecution said.

She testified that the pair first met in March or April 2023, after which she said the "relationship happened very quickly".

At the time, she was living with her parents in a different location and was looking to rent a place of her own, when Philipp suggested she moved in with him.

The woman then moved into his apartment in October 2023, and changed her address to reflect that in the same month.

She added that she did not pay rent, but at times would get groceries as well as clean and decorate the apartment.

The woman said she thought her relationship with Philipp was "almost perfect" before he hit her, as "he appeared to be very kind, very gentlemanly and he had a lot of social friends".

She noted, however, that "after December I quickly realised a lot of it was just a facade".

"He could pretend to be whoever you wanted him to be... but behind closed doors, I realised he was incredibly demeaning and violent..."

"I found that out the hard way," she added.

Allegedly started to be violent

The court heard that Philipp allegedly started being violent with her in December 2023.

According to the woman, this alleged behaviour took place in Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia.

The pair then went for couple's therapy, the woman said, adding that she would then spend a few days at her parents' place and a few days at the shared apartment with Philipp.

Hospitalised

On one occasion, she was hospitalised after he allegedly grabbed her by her hair and lifted her up about 42cm off the ground which the woman said is their height difference.

The court heard that Philipp is over 2m tall.

The woman, who is 1.59m tall, alleged that he also bit her pinky finger, resulting in an open fracture.

This took place at about 3am on Mar. 2, 2024, at the pair's shared apartment, the court heard.

At the time, the woman was in the process of shifting out of the apartment in phases as half her things were there and the other half was at her parents' house.

She began to do so after an incident on Jan. 12, 2024, she testified.

Picked woman up by crotch and jaw

At about 11am that day, Philipp allegedly kicked and punched the victim multiple times at various parts of the body, according to charge sheets seen by Mothership.

On another occasion on Mar. 2, 2024, at around 3am, he allegedly pushed and kicked the woman again.

This also included pulling her hair and picking her up by the crotch and jaw before throwing her on the ground.

On the same day, he also allegedly bit the victim's last finger on her left hand, resulting in a fracture.

He then allegedly locked her out on the balcony of the condo as well.

Mar. 2, 2024

On Nov. 3, 2026, the woman testified that at about 2am on Mar. 2, 2024, she was working on her laptop at Philipp's house as she was staying over that day.

The balcony door was supposedly open, with papers on the dry kitchen where she was working.

When Philipp returned sometime between 2am and 3am that day, he apparently asked her what the papers were doing on the floor.

He then allegedly picked up a piece of paper and threw it at her while she was still typing on her laptop.

She then apparently picked up another piece of paper and threw it back at him as she was upset by his actions, the court heard.

The woman alleged that Philipp then walked towards her while she was still sitting on a high seat, where she stood up as she was startled.

She claimed that he put his hands on her and pushed her so she fell down in the kitchen.

Bit finger, pulled hair

The woman alleged that after Philipp pushed her, he grabbed a soft drink from the refrigerator nearby and began drinking.

Angered by him pushing her, she used an expletive and asked him how he could do that, and pushed him in his torso area, the court heard.

Philipp then allegedly grabbed her by the hair and lifted her off the ground.

The woman then asked him to let go and used her hands to grab his "man bun", after which the pair fell to the ground while they struggled.

Court proceedings were interrupted while she was giving evidence as Philipp was seen using his phone in the dock.

Responding to the district judge's question on whether he had recorded anything from the hearing, Philipp answered that he was typing messages, after which she told him not to use his phone during the hearing.

The hearing then continued.

Noting that she was hanging in midair for what felt like "a very long time", the woman recalled being in a lot of pain and terror.

Given that he was supposed to be her partner at the time, she said she was "feeling very distraught... because of the romantic expectations that a partner should protect and love you and not abuse you".

In the struggle, she said Philipp bit her pinky finger.

Next hearing, penalties

Philipp was out on S$15,000 bail, The Straits Times previously reported.

His hearing, which was adjourned at about 5:52pm on Nov. 3, 2026, will resume on Nov. 4, 2026, where the woman is expected to continue giving evidence in court.

If found guilty of voluntarily causing hurt, Philipp can face imprisonment for up to three years, or a fine up to S$5,000, or both.

For voluntarily causing grievous hurt, he can be jailed for up to 10 years, and can also be fined or caned.

For wrongful confinement, he can be jailed for up to three years, fined or both.

A woman, who was involved in the multi-vehicle crash along Tampines Avenue 12 on Oct. 29 that killed a couple, is seeking psychiatric treatment following the incident.

Tampines Member of Parliament (MP) Baey Yam Keng wrote in a Facebook post on Nov. 3 that the 25-year-old woman, Mira, did not sustain any serious physical injuries.

However, she is seeking psychiatric treatment to cope with the trauma she experienced, Baey said.

Impact of crash

Baey shared that he had visited Mira alongside grassroots leaders.

The car she was driving belonged to her father, he shared.

It was badly damaged in the accident and had to be scrapped.

"This is affecting her father’s work as he needs the car to drive to Jurong Island," Baey said.

He added that they had discussed the assistance her family needed, including legal advice and help with insurance claims.

"Hopefully our referrals would accord them the necessary assistance soon," he wrote.

Baey also said he had requested meetings with the relevant agencies to discuss whether measures could be implemented along Tampines Avenue 12 to prevent similar accidents from happening.

"I wish Mira a smooth and speedy recovery. My thoughts are also with the family of the couple who tragically lost their lives in the accident," he wrote.

An average of 10 to 11 full-time national servicemen (NSFs) died while in service per year between 2016 and 2025, according to defence minister Chan Chun Sing.

This is against the 45,000 male Singaporeans and Permanent Residents who serve their full-time national service in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) per year.

Chan was responding to a parliamentary question filed by the Workers' Party's MP Fadli Fawzi on Nov. 3, where he asked for the statistics of unnatural NSF deaths in that timeframe, the main causes of death and what is being done to reduce the incidence of such deaths.

Suicide the leading cause

He said that the leading cause of NSF deaths during these years was suicide, followed by road traffic accidents.

This trend is consistent with the national trend for males aged 10 to 30.

An average of about four NSFs died per year due to suicide, said Chan.

This translates to an average annual suicide rate of 0.009 per cent, which sits lower than the national suicide rate of 0.014 per cent for males in 2024.

"Beyond these numbers, every death represents a tragic loss of life, leaving behind grieving families and loved ones," he added.

"We take every loss of life seriously, and our deepest condolences go out to the families affected."

Chan said that each death is thoroughly investigated and measures are put in place to reduce the likelihood of recurrence where relevant.

Related stories:

U.S. president ⁠⁠Donald ⁠⁠Trump said the country's US$4 billion (S$5.1 billion) annual ⁠⁠funding to Israel will be cut off after the end of 2026.

According to him, Israel's prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was the one who suggested it.

“Now, as far as paying Israel, Bibi Netanyahu and I have made a deal that we give Israel US$4 billion ⁠⁠a year, and ⁠⁠we made a deal months ago that we’re stopping,” Trump told ⁠⁠"Fox and Friends" on Fox News over a call after voting in the midterm elections began on Nov. 3 (U.S. time).

“We’ve ⁠⁠already agreed that ⁠⁠by the end of this year we won’t be paying Israel. ‌‌Now, we’ll help Israel if they need it,” Trump added.

However, it was not clear what type of aid Trump was referring to in his comments or if his remarks were directed at voters critical of U.S. support for Israel.

Stymie Democrat attacks?

Trump did mention Democratic Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed as he accused Democrats of weaponising U.S. assistance to Israel as a "talking point" to attack Republicans.

El-Sayed is a vocal critic of U.S. support for Israel.

Trump said: “Why should we suffer the ⁠⁠slings from lunatics like an El-Sayed when they don’t need it?"

"It’s a bad, it’s a bad talking point,” he continued.

Trump said Israeli prime minister had proactively sought the aid cut-off.

“Can I be honest with you, [Netanyahu] brought it up, he said, ‘I think it would be appropriate if we do not receive aid’, because he understands this is one of their points of contention.”

No confirmation

Al Jazeera and other media reported that there was no confirmation from Israel regarding what Trump said.

BBC reported that a memorandum of understanding that provides US$3.8 billion a year in military assistance to Israel expires at the end of 2028, and not 2026.

Previously, Netanyahu said in a May 2026 CBS interview that he wanted to "draw down" financial aid to Israel "to zero" from the annual US$3.8 billion the country receives.

He said: "Let's start now and do it over the next decade, over the next 10 years, but I want to start now," he said. "I don't want to wait for the next Congress. I want to start now."

Israel has been the largest recipient of U.S. foreign assistance since the end of World War II, according to the BBC.