In 2005, Janet Jothi encountered a Sri Lankan mother and her daughter stranded at Changi Airport.

The young child was in tears, and Janet would soon find out that the pair had encountered difficulties with their hotel accommodation during their stay in Singapore and were unsure where to turn to for help.

The woman spoke only Sinhalese, a language no one in the airport at the time was fluent in.

Then an airport duty supervisor under Cathay Pacific, Janet leapt into action.

Using a combination of sign language and Google Translate, she did her best to communicate with the pair until a translator arrived.

The pair had only about S$20 remaining and were unable to afford another place to stay before their flight back to Colombo in two days.

In response, Janet decided to invite the mother and daughter to stay in her own home for the next 48 hours, covering their food and transport costs in the meantime.

The story of Janet’s extraordinary service soon earned her the Outstanding Service Provider Gold Award 2005.

It wasn’t Janet’s first rodeo, though – and neither would it be her last.

As Cathay marks its 80th anniversary in 2026, Mothership spoke to Janet about her own 26-year journey with the airline, from airport services and cabin crew operations to her current role helping to lead and mentor a team of around 70 cabin crew members.

While her responsibilities have evolved over the years, one thing has remained constant: aviation might be guided by strict procedures and standards, but understanding people’s needs and going the extra mile to meet them is the heart of her work.

The early years

The first time Janet saw a group of impeccably dressed Cathay Pacific ground staff striding around Changi Airport, she remembered wondering what their job was with so much walking required.

But the iconic red uniform was also the first thing that attracted her to the airline.

In 2000, Janet joined Cathay Pacific’s airport services team in Singapore.

It was her first full-time job, fresh out of school, and she was assigned to man the airline’s check-in counters.

Since then, Janet, 49, has spent 26 years at the company and has taken on a range of roles.

She has worked on the frontline in airport services, briefly did a stint as a stewardess herself, and now mentors a team of about 70 cabin crew members.

Other roles have included filling in load sheets, being a ramp coordinator, going into Human Resource (HR) and cargo as well.

But supporting passengers was the part she seemed to remember the most — perhaps because it came with its own particular demands.

In fact, Janet admitted with a laugh that during her first few months, difficult interactions with passengers would sometimes leave her overwhelmed. “I would go to the toilet to cry,” she admitted wryly.

Choosing coffee over confrontation

The early years came with a steep learning curve.

In one instance, after a particularly tense interaction with a customer, Janet chose to respond with empathy and composure, even treating him to coffee as a gesture of goodwill.

It worked, and the passenger returned 30 minutes later with a change of heart.

The pair parted ways on friendly terms. Before long, he was asking for Janet, or “JJ,” as she’s affectionately known to her regular passengers , whenever he passed through the airport.

It was one of her memorable encounters during her years in airport services.

Once, she, alongside a colleague, assisted an American passenger from San Francisco whose wife had fallen ill in Singapore.

Throughout the woman’s five days of hospitalisation, Janet visited her daily with food and drinks.

She stayed in touch with the couple and assisted in arranging their return journey to San Francisco.

As an airport service crew member, she had a knack for building relationships with her passengers.

Many of those who crossed her path became friendly faces who would seek her out whenever they passed through, often just to say hi. Her dedication did not go unnoticed.

In 2002, Janet, then a customer service officer, was presented with a silver award at the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore’s (CAAS) Service Personality and Outstanding Service Providers Award by then-Transport Minister Yeo Cheow Tong.

Cathay Pacific was then the only airline represented among the 26 recipients.

In those years, she also picked up a collection of accolades, including the Cathay Pacific Airports Worldwide Staff of the Year Award in 2002, the Cathay Pacific Service Excellence Award in 2004, 2005 and 2007, the CAAS Outstanding Service Provider Gold Award in 2005, and the Betsy Award in 2009 and 2010, the highest accolade given to Cathay Pacific staff in recognition of their people and service excellence.

The cabin crew years

Later, an opportunity came to transition into being a cabin crew. Janet took it, wanting to “know all of it”.

While her stint ended after two years, when she decided to settle down and get married, the experience gave her insights into the work of cabin crew – something that has come in handy since assuming her latest role as an assistant cabin crew base manager.

Unlike caring for passengers, which often involves helping them in the moment, supporting cabin crew in their growth is a journey that unfolds over a much longer period of time.

“Every day you see them, you get the opportunity to motivate and grow them. It's not just a matter of coming for the flight and then saying “okay bye, take care, see you”, and then off they go,” Janet explained. Instead, she tries to mentor each cabin crew member to take on bigger responsibilities.

A lot of Janet’s work involves supporting and mentoring her cabin crew, helping them to navigate the demands of their work and build connections with customers and colleagues.

Her days start at 8am, which is typically the time cabin crew members gather for a pre-flight briefing that covers safety/service topics and any latest updates.

It is not just work-related conversations that the cabin crew have with Janet during this time before she sends them through immigration. Some have also sought her advice on personal matters as well – a reflection of the trust they have built with her over the years

After that, she spends the day working in the office until the next wave of cabin crew arrives. Then the routine repeats itself.

A relationship based on mutual respect

Over the years, Janet has come to realise that supporting the cabin crew requires a different approach from serving passengers directly.

When asked about what she has learnt about managing cabin crew over the years, Janet laughed and mentioned that communication styles have shifted and evolved, and that she, too, has had to learn to adapt over the years.

Much of her role today centres on communication, trust and helping her team understand the bigger picture.

For Janet, that means making communication a two-way conversation. Janet added that while she will always raise what she wants to say, and remain clear about operational requirements, she would also ask her team to share their perspectives and consider how they would approach a situation in her position.

“We have an open kind of communication. It's not about whether what you say is right or wrong. I want to understand their perspective, and I also want them to understand where I’m coming from,” she said of her communication approach.

More importantly, their working relationship is one grounded in mutual respect. “It doesn’t mean (just because) I’m a manager, then everybody (must give respect). It’s not that way,” she added.

Still, her team knows she means what she says.

It’s all about the people

One way or another, Janet’s work has always been people-centric: from serving passengers to mentoring her team.

But it’s precisely this factor that has kept her in the line for so long as it has allowed her to discover her love for service.

Each role has also given her a deeper appreciation of the challenges faced by different teams across the organisation.

She said, “Much of that enjoyment comes from getting to understand people better and helping them navigate their own challenges.”

Mentoring others remains one of the most rewarding aspects of Janet’s role. Through it, she has learnt one lesson that continues to shape how she leads today: not judging people before taking the time to understand them. “It’s easy to make an assumption as to why someone from another team is taking longer to reply to an email, or why something is done in a certain way.

As I got to experience these roles myself, I began to understand the different challenges that everyone faces, and this has allowed me to become a more empathetic leader today.”

She was inspired by her own leader, a general manager who, throughout her career, took the time to offer her guidance and support at pivotal moments, including stepping in during a rocky interaction with a difficult passenger and managing the situation with poise.

She also credited her manager with seeing her potential and encouraging her to become a cabin crew member.

The experience showed her that “the people at Cathay truly care about one another”.

Janet’s grown as a person too, becoming more confident and patient over the years, though she laughed that age probably played a part as well.

Reflecting on the past 26 years, Janet said that one of the most important lessons she has learnt is the value of understanding people.

As Cathay celebrates its 80th anniversary, Janet's journey reflects the relationships, acts of kindness and moments of mentorship that have shaped both her career and the people around her.

This branded article by Cathay Pacific made this writer appreciate service staff much more.

The son of the 77-year-old woman who died after being hit by a minibus and dragged for 1.5km said she must have been in "great pain" at the time.

The woman was found along the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE) on Oct. 16 and pronounced dead at the scene.

The police later said the woman had been involved in a prior hit-and-run with a minibus at the junction of Jurong West Street 61 and Jurong West Avenue 4.

According to Shin Min Daily News, the woman had rolled under the minibus and was dragged along the road for over 1.5km.

A 66-year-old male driver has been arrested for driving without due care and attention, causing death.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Healthy and working

Speaking to Shin Min at his mother’s funeral, her son, surnamed Huang (transliteration), said that despite her age, she remained clear-headed and insisted on going to work as a cleaner every day.

Huang recalled returning home that morning and not seeing his mother, but thought little of it as she usually left for work in the morning.

He only realised the seriousness of the situation when police called to inform him that his mother had died in an accident on the expressway.

He immediately drove down to the scene.

“I immediately felt that my mother couldn’t have run onto the expressway on her own. Later, after confirming with the police, I learned that my mother was hit downstairs and dragged all the way to the expressway 1.5km away,” he told Shin Min.

Police later told him that his mother had been hit and dragged by a minibus whose driver fled the scene.

Huang, his parents’ only son, said the family was heartbroken by what happened.

“It’s one thing to be in a car accident, but my mother was dragged so far after being hit. I saw that my mother’s condition was very bad at the end. She was trapped under the car and must have been in a lot of pain and felt helpless.”

Unclear what happened

Huang said it remains unclear how the accident happened, why his mother was trapped under the vehicle, and why the driver did not stop, Shin Min reported.

The driver has yet to contact the family, Huang added.

While Huang has mixed feelings about forgiveness, he said the family would not stop the driver from paying his respects to his mother at the funeral hall.

However, they are concerned his presence could upset relatives and friends.

Mountbatten Member of Parliament (MP) Gho Sze Kee recently paid a visit to the family of her Town Council contractor’s cleaning supervisor, who had travelled to Singapore from Bangladesh.

In a Facebook post on Oct. 17, Gho shared that the estate had become “noticeably cleaner” since the Town Council switched contractors about six months ago.

She credited the cleaning supervisor for his hard work despite the occasional dressing-down over negative feedback.

"But he is an earnest and hardworking chap, and he takes my haranguing like a trooper. He is conscientious and gets things sorted out as quickly as he can," she wrote.

She added that she appreciates the work that he and his colleagues are doing, saying that some of the residents have taken to him as well.

Visited family

When Goh heard that his wife and daughter came from Bangladesh for a visit, she dropped by his hostel to say hello.

"Aunty Sze Kee bought some gifts for his baby girl too," she said.

"Their family reunion is a joy to see. It is not an easy thing to leave behind your loved ones to labour in a foreign land, something unknown to most of us here in Singapore."

She also asked for understanding for the people working to keep the estate clean, saying that they "cannot be everywhere all at once, and sometimes things may fall short."

"There are real people behind the cleanliness of our estate. These men are here to build better lives for their loved ones back home. I think they are doing a good job so far," she wrote.

A 38-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly stealing a money box from a wedding reception at a hotel along Beach Road.

The money box contained "ang pows", red packets containing cash amounting to around S$2,000.

In a press release, the police said they were alerted to the situation at about 9:15pm on Oct. 17.

Officers from the Central Police Division were able to identify the man through ground enquiries and CCTV footage.

He was apparently unknown to the wedding party and guests, and was arrested on Oct. 18.

The man will be charged in court on Oct. 20 with the offence of theft in dwelling.

If he is found guilty, he can be sentenced to prison for up to seven years, and asked to pay a fine.

The police said they have zero tolerance for such crime and will spare no effort to apprehend offenders and deal with them in accordance with the law.

Members of the public are advised to remain vigilant and keep their valuables secure, particularly at celebratory events and in crowded areas.

A man ran across a road in Bras Basah to stand in front of a bus, obstructing traffic.

Footage of the man blocking bus 56, taken from the dashcam of a nearby car, was posted on the Complaint Singapore Instagram page.

Its caption stated that the incident happened on the afternoon of Oct. 14 along Bras Basah Road.

A spokesperson from SBS Transit, which operates the bus, said in response to Mothership's queries that it was along Beach Road.

The man ran across the bus lane attempting to board the bus, which had stopped at a red traffic light in the fourth lane of the five-lane carriageway, according to a spokesperson.

As the location was not a designated boarding point, the bus captain did not open the doors, but advised the man to board at the bus stop ahead.

"However, the man stood in front of the bus and refused to move even after the traffic light turned green," Wu said.

"The police was contacted for assistance and attended to the situation. The bus resumed its journey some 15 minutes later."

Mothership understands that the man ran up to the bus because he had left his phone behind.

A wheelchair user who crossed the road at a red light was nearly hit by a car.

Footage of the incident, which took place at the junction of Canberra Road and Wellington Circle, and appeared to be filmed from the perspective of another vehicle, was uploaded to the Facebook group SGRV ADMIN.

According to the video's caption, the incident took place on Oct. 18, at 12:30am.

The video showed the wheelchair user making his way across the pedestrian crossing, with the traffic light for vehicles showing green while the traffic light for pedestrians is in red.

He then comes to a halt due to an oncoming car that screeches to a stop to avoid hitting him.

The wheelchair user then continues on his way, as the car's horn is heard.

Many of the commenters on the video criticised the wheelchair user for his actions, with a few saying such an incident showed the importance of staying alert at traffic junctions for drivers.

Chinese-made cars were found to have filmed sensitive information during a Norwegian military exercise, raising concerns about security risks.

This included access codes at secure sites as well as the movement of officials, AFP reported.

The military exercise took place at Oslo airport from Sep. 14-18.

The recordings of the sensitive information by the vehicle's cameras were discovered when the soldiers tapped on their screen, and included images of who was getting in and out of the vehicle, the routes that had been taken and the codes used to open the gates and doors to military facilities.

A spokesperson for the Norwegian Home Guard was quoted by AFP as saying, "Yes, soldiers from the Home Guard found videos from the vehicles' sensors stored in their systems."

Rental cars were supplied to the Norwegian army

Norwegian media reported that the recordings came from rental vehicles, of which at least two were Deepal cars, which is made by Chinese state-controlled automaker Changan.

These cars were supplied to the Norwegian army by Hertz Norge, a car rental company that is also indirectly owned by the Chinese auto group Geely.

It is unknown if the recordings were shared with a third party, but the spokesperson did not rule out the possibility.

Norwegian media noted that following the discovery however, the soldiers still continued to use the vehicles until the military exercise concluded due to a lack of alternative options, with the soldiers subsequently deleting the videos.

The military was further quoted as saying that it preferred security procedures tailored for each of its sites, given that the impact of a general ban on Chinese-made vehicles would be disproportionate to the security gained.

Such procedures could include a possible ban on vehicles equipped with cameras and sensors regardless of their origin.

Meanwhile, Hertz Norge, in response to media queries, said:

"Our customers' data is safe with us. No personal data related to our rentals is shared with car manufacturers, our owners or other third parties without explicit legal grounds."

Changan group did not respond to queries.

A student of Universiti Malaya has sparked both praise and attacks after she said that people donating to former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak's fundraiser to spring him from prison was "the stupidest thing" she had seen in her life.

She underscored that Najib "clearly has a worldwide corruption case, 1MDB, and is clearly linked to corruption", as quoted by The New Straits Times.

Ummi Umairah Bakhit, 23, made these remarks during a recent young leaders' dialogue with the Kuala Lumpur World Trade Centre with former minister Khairy Jamaluddin, the Selangor chief minister, and the Johor chief minister.

On Sep. 18, Malaysia's Federal Territories Pardons Board allowed Najib to serve the remainder of his jail sentence under house arrest on several conditions, including that he pay a RM50 million (S$15.6 million) fine.

His party, United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), turned to the public to crowdfund the money.

The Najib Razak Solidarity Fund has received both support and backlash.

It raised RM634,562 (S$198,499) within the first three hours of its launch, and reached RM9.25 million (S$2.9 million) by Sep. 27.

However, the idea has also been ridiculed, with some of Najib's detractors sarcastically donating RM0.01 (S$0.0031).

Corruption

Speaking at the dialogue, Ummi highlighted a few corruption cases that involved Malaysian government institutions.

This included the recently uncovered financial mismanagement of Malaysia's Muslim pilgrimage fund Tabung Haji.

Ummi then expressed surprise that members of the public were willing to contribute towards the fine for the convicted Najib, and raised the issue of corruption and political accountability.

In response, Khairy said he believed that corruption should be discussed openly even if it involves their political leaders.

"We shouldn’t be afraid about talking about corruption," he said, as quoted by The Rakyat Post. "What is wrong is wrong. What you cannot defend, don’t defend."

Praise

Videos of Ummi's remarks have gone viral on social media, but responses have been divided.

A Threads user said to "give Ummi Umairah a medal" for her no-nonsense critique.

"It sounded harsh, but it’s the ugly truth," someone commented.

Under Ummi's Instagram post about the dialogue, many also expressed admiration and thanked her for speaking up.

Received threats and harassment

However, some also criticised Ummi for asking questions that they found inappropriate.

"You're asking about things that have not been settled even until now," one user wrote on Threads.

"Those sitting in front of you are smart people, so it's better that you ask things that are related [to students]."

Since the video circulated, Ummi has faced online harassment and threats on social media.

"Some of them also threatened me with expulsion from the university, harassed me, made comments about my physical appearance and much more," she said, as quoted by The New Straits Times.

But the economics major doubled down and added that she would not be intimidated.

She believed she had a responsibility to challenge public perceptions, and said her questions were relevant as one of the forum's themes was transformation.

According to her, Malaysia's Deputy Minister of Higher Education Adam Adli checked in on her and assured her that she would not face disciplinary action.

Speaker of Parliament Seah Kian Peng will be visiting the Vatican City, Rome and Strausbourg in France from Oct. 18 to 23 with a parliamentary delegation from Singapore.

According to a press release by the Parliament of Singapore, the visit is aimed at strengthening inter-parliamentary ties and deepening Singapore’s engagement with European institutions.

Seah will be accompanied by Members of Parliament Sharael Taha, Pritam Singh (from the Workers' Party), Cassandra Lee and Charlene Chen.

What will the trip entail?

In the Vatican City, Seah and the delegation will meet the Vatican's Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin, and Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations.

These engagements will reaffirm the "warm relations" between Singapore and the Vatican and provide opportunities to exchange views on regional and global developments, the press release added.

The visit will also advance parliamentary, and interpersonal exchanges.

In Rome, Seah and the delegation will meet the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Lorenzo Fontana.

They will also meet Member of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy and Chairman of the Bilateral Friendship Section Italy-Southeast Asia, Ciro Maschio, and other Italian parliamentarians.

The engagements will provide opportunities to strengthen parliamentary relations between Singapore and Italy and exchange views on issues of mutual interest.

Seah will also attend a dinner with overseas Singaporeans based in Rome, reinforcing the interpersonal links between the two countries.

As for Strausbourg, Seah and the delegation will meet the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, and Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, David McAllister.

The meetings will provide opportunities to reaffirm inter-parliamentary ties and exchange views on regional and international developments.

The delegation will also visit the European Parliament and observe a Plenary Session, visit the Council of Europe and the Strasbourg Mayoralty, and engage with other Members of the European Parliament.

A group of runners did not let the haze disrupt their morning workout routine.

Running community X-Run Singapore, along with Key Power Sports, took their run indoors in Marina Square before opening hours on Oct. 17.

They reportedly received permission from the mall.

At least 12 people joined in, according to a group photo shared on the organisers' Instagram pages.

Videos posted online showed them running in an empty mall, past stores that had not yet opened.

Due to the worsening haze, several running events were cancelled over the past two weeks.

This included community runs by the Singapore Runners Club and Chill Movement, as well as the Great Eastern Women's Run that was scheduled for Nov. 17.

ActiveSG also announced on Oct. 15 that it will close many of its outdoor and non-air-conditioned facilities temporarily.

'A great alternative'

Elmer Loy, who participated in the Marina Square run, wrote on Instagram that it was "a great alternative" to continue doing his long runs during the haze period.

He clocked 19km that morning, while another participant, Nathan Jon Sing, said he ran a half-marathon.

The first two levels of the mall are about 1.2km long per loop, and the third level is about 800m per loop.

Adel G, who described it as a fun morning, also ran in other malls solo to beat the haze.

"Can't be running outdoors in this haze, so gotta get creative," she wrote in a post, adding that running in a mall was much better than staring at a treadmill wall.

According to her, X-Run will organise weekly runs at Marina Square, every Saturday at 7am.