A 35-year-old construction worker who died at a worksite along Jurong Port Road on Sep. 11 was struck by a hose connected to a compressed air pump while carrying out foundation works.

In response to Mothership's queries, a Ministry of Manpower (MOM) spokesperson said the workplace incident occurred at 37 Jurong Port Road at around 8:20pm on Sep. 11.

The worker was pronounced dead at the scene by attending paramedics.

Company instructed to stop concreting works

MOM identified Keller Foundations (S E Asia) Pte Ltd as both the occupier and employer of the worksite.

The ministry is investigating the incident.

The company has also been instructed to stop all concreting works at the worksite.

MOM said that as a general safety measure, compressed air systems should be properly isolated and fully depressurised before hoses, tools or fittings are disconnected.

Measures should also be taken to prevent hoses and other pressurised components from moving unexpectedly when connections are released.

According to MOM, failing to properly secure such systems can result in hoses whipping, flying projectiles and physical injury.

A 30-year-old secretary in Singapore embezzled S$63,000 from her employer after finding out that she was pregnant and worrying that she would not be able to afford the childbirth expenses.

She transferred the money into her personal bank account on 12 occasions over about two months.

Sim Shimin (transliteration) was sentenced to 18 months' jail, Shin Min Daily News reported.

She faced four charges, including criminal breach of trust and forgery, and pleaded guilty to three.

The remaining charge was taken into consideration for sentencing.

Found out she was 6.5 months pregnant

At the time of the offences, Sim worked as a secretary at Ossia International Ltd.

As part of her job, she was entrusted with the company's bank accounts and held the security token used to access them.

On May 4, 2024, Sim learned she was already six-and-a-half months pregnant.

The news apparently caught her by surprise.

Worried that she would not be able to afford the expenses associated with childbirth, she decided to take money from the company.

Between May 7 and Jul. 24, 2024, she made 12 transfers totalling S$63,000 from the company's accounts to her personal bank account.

Delayed handing over bank token

Sim went on maternity leave from Jul. 1.

However, she repeatedly delayed handing over the company's bank security token to her colleagues, which raised her supervisor's suspicions.

On Jul. 24, her supervisor asked her to surrender the token, saying it was needed to deal with an urgent matter.

The following day, the supervisor checked the company's bank accounts and discovered the unauthorised transfers.

A police report was subsequently lodged.

On the same day her offences were discovered, Sim emailed her supervisor and promised to repay the entire amount within two years.

However, she had not made any restitution by the time she was sentenced.

Forged bank statements to hide transfers

Sim also altered the company's bank statements to conceal what she had done.

As she was preparing to go on maternity leave, the company had asked her to hand over her duties to another employee in July 2024.

Fearing that the transfers would be discovered, Sim used a company laptop to alter bank statements from May, June and July.

She deleted records of the unauthorised transfers and changed the account balances on the statements to cover up the missing money.

The Singapore Fitness Alliance (SFA) has stepped in to help affected True Group employees find new jobs after True Fitness and True Yoga abruptly closed on Sep. 10, 2026.

In response to Mothership's queries on Sep. 13, SFA's president and co-founder Sean Tan said the association was "spearheading an initiative" with the National Instructors & Coaches Association (NICA), an organisation set up by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), and NTUC’s employment and employability institute (e2i).

SFA is a non-profit industry association set up in 2021 and includes most gyms and studios in Singapore as members, including Fitness First, Virgin Active and Anytime Fitness.

However, SFA will not be involved in any efforts to recover unpaid salaries or commissions, Tan noted.

235 affected staff joined SFA WhatsApp group

SFA set up a WhatsApp group for affected staff, with around 235 people having joined the chat thus far.

According to Tan, SFA is also compiling a list of affected True Group staff with their contact details and details of their last roles with the group.

With the consent of affected True Group staff, SFA will circulate the list of employees to SFA members on Sep. 14, 2026.

“This is the first effort that will be made. Thereafter, NICA and e2i will reach out to the affected staff to assist with possible job matching and/or skills retraining for those who request that,” Tan stated.

He added that several SFA members had expressed interest in hiring affected True Group staff, including Fitness First, Anytime Fitness, Virgin Active and PURE Group.

Tan was previously True Group's Chairman till June 2022

Tan was True Group's Chairman until June 2022 but noted he had no involvement with the group since.

SFA is speaking to its members to consider offering True Fitness and True Yoga members memberships or concessionary membership joining fees, said Tan.

"A number of them are considering this, and we hope to have details of these soon in the coming week. Realistically, SFA members are unlikely to be able to recognise or give credit for unutilised membership or PT packages."

Home-grown bakery Baker’s Brew Studio, which rebranded as BB Atelier in late 2025, has gone into liquidation.

According to its online entity profile, the company is undergoing liquidation as part of a creditors' voluntary winding-up process.

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The company was found unable to continue operating due to its liabilities, The Straits Times (ST) reported.

ST added that Goh Wee Teck and Lin Yueh Hung were appointed as liquidators.

Ceased operations on Jun. 1

Baker’s Brew previously operated several outlets around Singapore, including locations at Great World, Paragon, Upper Thomson and JEM.

In a message to Mothership from Jun. 22, BB Atelier confirmed that the bakery underwent a rebranding exercise in November 2025.

BB Atelier officially ceased operations on Jun. 1, 2026 and its physical outlet at Great World closed on the same day.

At the time of writing, its website and social media pages are unavailable.

Its Shopee store, which has around 3,800 followers and a 4.8-star rating, remains online but is marked as “on vacation”, with purchases disabled.

In response to complaints about unfulfilled orders, BB Atelier said in its Jun. 22 message that as of the previous week, more than 95 per cent of affected customers on their records have been refunded.

The remaining cases at that juncture mainly involved overseas customers and overseas banking arrangements, which the bakery said required "additional verification and processing time".

Involved in several civil cases

Separately, Baker’s Brew Studio is facing legal action.

PSGourmet, the company behind restaurant chain PS.Cafe, sued the bakery for negligence, with the case heard at the State Courts on Sep. 1, according to ST.

The bakery is also listed as a defendant in two other ongoing civil cases.

Mothership has contacted Baker's Brew for further comment.

The 2026 edition of the Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment Report highlighted that youths who spend a significant amount of time on the internet may be exposed to violent, extremist or ideologically radical content.

Such encounters can happen both voluntarily and involuntarily.

For some youths, encountering such content online has become an unfortunate norm.

I can attest.

I am a 19-year-old Singaporean who has spent too much time online.

Algorithmic recommendations

While some may be surprised and view the consumption of extreme media as uncommon—given that we are in Singapore and there must be guidelines and restrictions in place—some of this content will always slip through filters.

As a likely result of algorithmic recommendations, content such as memes or edits referencing or glorifying extremist sentiment or acts of violence, and in some cases, straight-up gore, appear on social media platforms unsolicited.

This is the natural workings of a network distributing content to users to ensure people always have stuff to consume.

Some people will flag and report it.

Others will like it.

The content will get taken down.

Only to pop up elsewhere.

Once again, I can attest.

Here's what I have been exposed to.

Here's what the Internal Security Department (ISD) said some youths in Singapore have been exposed to.

Worse, while platforms monitor such content, algorithmic malfunctions can still occur.

In February 2025, Instagram saw an algorithmic malfunction in which hundreds of accounts pushed content depicting uncensored real-life graphic violence to its viewers.

Some have dubbed the incident the “Instagram Liveleak incident”, in reference to a now-defunct video-sharing website that was known for hosting extreme violence and gore content without much context.

Exposure

If you don't want to take my word for it, you can listen to others my age.

I've checked with them.

Adam, a 19-year-old, said he has been exposed to such content involuntarily since he was 14.

“When I was in secondary school, some guy went around showing everyone an ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) execution video. It was kind of a novel shock value thing,” he said.

“I couldn’t get the clip out of my head for a good two days,” he added

He was also recommended such content online and said he felt that nebulous algorithms “are the root cause for how often one sees extremist-related content”.

However, Adam feels that exposure to such content, particularly on Instagram, was “unsurprising”, even though it was “extreme”.

Is there a degree of desensitisation?

Perhaps.

Is there an innate curiosity that also makes kids want to dig deeper?

Perhaps as well.

“The gateways to extremist content or themes usually stem from interest in historical events and military or gun culture,” he theorised.

It is like scratching an itch.

Curious about extreme content

Another 19-year-old, Roman (not his real name), claimed that he was immersed in extreme content voluntarily at 14, when he first got on the Reddit forum.

“I mainly saw cartel execution videos, police bodycam footage, etc,” he said.

Roman claimed he initially viewed extreme content out of curiosity.

“I wanted to see if it is like how the movies depicted it,” he added.

However, Roman viewed himself as a rational and “tactical” person when it comes to consuming such media.

“There’s a fine line between doing it for exposure and knowledge, rather than viewing it with the intent to support actions,” he clarified.

“This is what evil people do, and there are evil people in the world,” he said.

Entertainment

However, other youths have also treated such content as humour.

Pravin, a 20-year-old, said he has been exposed to extreme content through social media “quite often”.

He was first exposed to it via YouTube.

However, Pravin viewed them as “stupid memes”.

He claimed that exposure to such content does not affect his actual worldview, as he is aware of the “misinformation and sensationalism” that comes with it.

“If anything, very extremist content kinda opens my eyes more to these kinda things,” he added.

Blurred lines

For some, exposure has also normalised and desensitised them to the gravity of such content to the extent they just become part of online consumption.

And the trend with online consumption is that everything can be waved off as "nothing can be truly personal" because you can be anyone online.

Krishna, an 18-year-old, attributed Instagram as the platform that made “hateful” content seem comedic.

He said he viewed the content as “just entertainment” and “treating it as not serious”.

When asked whether he views such content appearing in his algorithm as normal, Krishna agreed.

“I see a lot of my friends like that type of content too,” he said.

That does not make them budding terrorists or miscreants.

This attitude also has nothing to do with being "edgelord".

There is this age-old adage, which comes in a number of forms, one of which sums up this attitude: "You can be anybody on the internet, but you chose to be butt-hurt."

Therefore, getting riled up is a choice.

In other words, getting influenced can also be a choice.

And people like Krishna said they move on quite quickly: “I would rather find something I find entertaining than enjoy some mass-produced slop.”

Vulnerability

But it is not just about downplaying the effects of extreme content and ideologies perpetuated online.

For some, exposure to certain ideologies on the internet has led them down rabbit holes.

And they cut pretty close.

Jovann, a 19-year-old who is diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), said he experienced what he described as his own journey down an online ideological rabbit hole and nearly became politically radicalised when he was 13.

This is his re-telling of the sequence of events.

He was first exposed to political ideologies via the Political Compass online questionnaire.

The Political Compass is a two-axis grid that maps political beliefs based on economic and social views.

“The test is very flawed because kids are exploring politics and have very black-and-white and unnuanced views,” Jovann said.

After getting his Political Compass result, Jovann dug deeper into the rabbit hole and came across left-leaning content on YouTube in 2020.

This led him to “subscribe” to Anarcho-communism, a political philosophy that advocates a stateless, classless, and moneyless society based on common ownership and voluntary cooperation.

Jovann started reading political books and became active in political communities on Reddit.

He also added that his neurodivergence apparently made him more susceptible to such beliefs.

“We hyperfocus and obsess about things. Also, many neurodivergent people lack real-life social circles growing up, leading to them finding niche communities which tend to be political and wacky,” he explained.

Jovann claimed that his views eventually “fizzled out” and became more “moderate”, and he realised that Anarcho-communism is quite “niche”.

“When I was 13, I told my siblings about my Anarcho-communist ideals, and they laughed and tore it apart. I realised I couldn't rationalise the ideology and was like LARPing (Live Action Role Play).”

“So it made me read more. The more I learned, the less extreme and more grounded I got,” he added.

Jovann also acknowledged that not every trip down an online ideological rabbit hole necessarily ends the same way as his case.

“For those who fall into the other extremes, there are communities," he reflected. "And then it's dangerous."

Jovann also admitted he had tried getting involved in ongoing geopolitical conflicts, but failed.

“I realised that there was nothing I could do,” he said.

Community needs to step in

ISD said in the Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment Report that family members, friends and the community are key in reporting early signs of radicalisation.

Jovann also reflected on his experiences and weighed in on how to address radicalisation among youths.

“When you tell kids that what they believe is evil and they can't learn about it, it reinforces it and makes them believe it in secret.”

Drawing from his experiences, Jovann also said parents “should, without judgment, get their kids to express their views”.

“They should have logical debates and discussions, not shoot down ideas and say 'it's wrong because it's extreme',” he added.

ISD also advise members of the public to watch for common signs of radicalisation and stay vigilant, including among people close to them.

The public can report any suspicious terrorist activities or signs of radicalisation early to ISD at 1800-2626-473.

ISD will keep informants' identities confidential.

No action will be taken if the person reported is not found to be radicalised or to pose a security threat.

If the person is in the early stage of radicalisation, they may be referred for counselling or other interventions, without the need to be dealt with under the Internal Security Act (ISA).

A 35-year-old man has died following a work-related incident on Sep. 11 at a construction site.

Police confirmed with Mothership that they were alerted to the incident at the vicinity of Jurong Port Road at about 8:25pm.

The man was pronounced dead at the scene by a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) paramedic.

Based on preliminary investigations, the police do not suspect foul play.

Police investigations are ongoing.

A 36-year-old man in Hong Kong has been arrested on suspicion of theft, after he allegedly refused to share a Mark Six lottery prize worth around HK$30 million (S$4.84 million) with 14 colleagues who had chipped in to buy the winning ticket.

Refused to split prize money evenly among group

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), a 53-year-old man made a police report on Sep. 10, stating that he was one of 15 colleagues, reportedly comprising staff from Hong Kong's Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), who had pooled money to buy a Mark Six ticket for the Sep. 5 draw.

The ticket was bought by their 36-year-old colleague, who also held the bank account the winnings were paid into.

Sing Tao Daily reported that the man collected the winnings and then took leave from work, only informing his colleagues three days later that he wanted to keep HK$10 million (S$1.61 million) of the prize for himself.

He allegedly argued that he deserved a bigger share for having organised the ticket purchase, with the rest to be split evenly among the group, leading to a dispute.

A meeting was called on the evening of Sep. 10 to try and resolve the matter, but the ticket-buyer reportedly insisted during the roughly 30-minute negotiation that he would not divide the winnings.

He continued to take leave from work in the days that followed, which reportedly raised concern among colleagues that he might abscond with the money, according to Sing Tao Daily.

Worried that their colleague intended to keep the entire prize for himself and disappear, the 53-year-old man filed a police report.

Arrested on suspicion of theft

Local police confirmed on Sep. 11 that the man had been arrested on suspicion of theft, and remained in custody.

FEHD said that it was aware of the ongoing police case and would cooperate as needed, and could not comment further while investigations were underway.

A woman in Singapore visited a spa in Johor Bahru for a relaxing massage, only to leave feeling disturbed.

The woman, Elle (not her real name) told Mothership she had visited a Spa in JB on Jun. 27, 2026, with a friend.

She was assigned to a masseur who allegedly touched her inappropriately during the 90-minutes-long massage.

The same spa had recently made the news following feedback from a Singaporean family, who claimed that a man allegedly opened the doors of their private rooms while they were lying partially undressed inside.

A second man also apparently kept wanting to enter one of their rooms to retrieve a pillow.

According to Elle, who later spoke to the family, this second man was the same masseur whom she encountered.

Changed to full body massage

Elle told Mothership that she visited the spa for the first time on the evening of Jun. 27.

While she had initially booked a foot and shoulder massage, the masseur commented that her body was "very stiff" and suggested switching to a full-body massage.

He apparently told Elle that he was trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM).

"As I had previously undergone tui na massage in Singapore and found it effective, his suggestion seemed reasonable," she said.

She was then moved to a private room, though her clothes remained on, as is customary during a TCM massage.

Elle said the man seemed friendly initially, and that his massage technique was good.

But as the session progressed, his conduct began to make her "increasingly uncomfortable".

Made inappropriate remarks

During the stretching exercises of the massage, the man allegedly moved Elle's hands in a way that caused her fingertips to come into contact with what she felt was his "genital area".

Elle added that the area felt "hard".

"At first, I wondered whether it might have been accidental. However, it happened repeatedly, and he also began making inappropriate remarks and asking personal questions," she said.

The man allegedly commented on her skin tone and looks, and even enquired about her relationships.

"At one point, he said something along the lines of hoping that he could 'satisfy' me," Elle said, adding that this caused her to feel "alarmed".

Touched inappropriately

During the massage, Elle said the masseur also got extremely close to her crotch while pressing and stretching her legs.

While he appeared to treat the touches as accidental, Elle said she felt "very uncomfortable and suspicious" of his intentions in the context of his earlier actions and comments.

However, Elle said she did not dare to stop the massage and leave, as everything could still be attributed as "accidental" touches.

The point of confirmation came when the 90-minute massage eventually went beyond the stipulated time, and the masseur allegedly said he wanted to "spend more time" with her.

He also asked to exchange contact details with her on WeChat.

Called spa later on

Elle said she and her friend had to rush back to Singapore and only gave their feedback to the spa via a phone call later that night.

However, as a man answered the phone, Elle said she did not feel comfortable discussing the incident with him, so she decided to call the next day.

A female receptionist answered the second time and told Elle that she would raise the matter with her boss.

Elle then subsequently spoke to the spa’s manager and recounted the entire incident.

According to Elle, the spa manager apparently first said he would fine the masseur for his inappropriate behaviour.

When Elle insisted that it was a "serious matter" and that a fine was "not an adequate response", he then apparently said that the masseur would be dismissed.

Thinking that he would be dismissed as promised, she decided not to pursue the matter further and was also doubtful that making a police report in Johor Bahru would "lead anywhere".

Later on, Elle came across Google reviews that appeared to indicate that the masseur was still working at the spa.

She also saw the news involving the Singaporean family on Aug. 31 and decided to go back to the spa on Sep. 2 to question the manager about the masseur.

Manager took pity on him

On Sep. 2, Elle again spoke to the manager.

He said he had fired the masseur but allowed him to return after approximately one month.

He allegedly told Elle that he "took pity" on the masseur after being told that the masseur’s wife was hospitalised and that he needed money.

This was contrary to what the masseur had told Elle, as he had said that he was single.

Elle also noted that there have been Google reviews referring to the same masseur from around two months ago, despite the manager's claims that the man was dismissed for a period of time.

Concerns

Elle acknowledged that, taken individually, some of the incidents during the massage might have been dismissed as accidental or inappropriate remarks.

However, considering everything that happened, Elle felt that his conduct "crossed professional boundaries".

While she was refunded for the session, she noted that the masseur was ultimately allowed to return.

This was corroborated further by the Singaporean family, whom Elle got in touch with.

The family had posted on Facebook about their experience with the spa on Aug. 31.

One of the family members, Ang, told Mothership that the masseur Elle encountered was the same man who attempted to enter his sister-in-law's VIP massage room looking for a pillow.

He confirmed this after seeing a picture of the man that Elle had taken.

Before this, another man had allegedly opened the doors of various private massage rooms, including Ang's and his family's, looking for a driver of a vehicle parked outside.

Ang said he and his family were partially undressed for the massage and were caught by surprise at the intrusion.

They have since made a police report in Johor Bahru.

Ang added that he made the Facebook post as he wanted to raise awareness of such practices at the spa and seek accountability from the establishment.

Spa confirms masseur fired

When Mothership spoke to the spa on Sep. 10, they said the masseur in question has since been let go.

Police investigations in JB are ongoing, according to Ang on Sep. 11, though he noted that the investigating officer has stopped responding to them.

On Sep. 10, True Fitness and True Yoga announced that all outlets would cease operations with immediate effect, citing an inability to continue operating due to debt.

The closure left both employees and customers in a lurch.

Some customers told Shin Min Daily News that they spent about S$10,000 on a "Lifetime Founder VIP" membership which had S$107 annual fees.

The membership, which could also be used at overseas branches, allowed them to enjoy a private lounge and personal locker.

One customer spent over S$21,000

Chen (transliteration) told Shin Min that he purchased the "Lifetime Founder VIP" membership for himself and his two daughters in 2014, spending a total of about S$21,000.

He pointed out that even such VIP membership holders still had to pay an annual fee of S$107.

The membership allowed them to access even overseas outlets in Thailand and Taiwan.

He said that the Suntec City branch previously had a private lounge with massage chairs and coffee machines for VIP members to enjoy.

Another customer, Lin (transliteration) 44, told Shin Min that she joined the fitness centre in 2017 and spent about S$10,000 for the lifetime VIP membership in 2020.

She was apparently told that it was their last year issuing the lifetime VIP memberships.

According to Shin Min, neither of the two expected their "lifetime" cards to become useless with the closure of the gym.

Affected customers set up group chat

Affected customers subsequently formed a contact group to help each other, reported Shin Min.

One customer, Yang (transliteration), 39, had previously signed a three-year membership package with her husband, which was originally scheduled to expire in November this year.

She then purchased another three-year package, which included a three-month membership, for a total payment of over S$2,600.

The new package was supposed to take effect in January next year.

She said she went to the outlet at Millenia Walk for a class on Sep. 10.

There were about 20 people in the class at the time, and she did not notice anything unusual until Sep. 12 when she learned that the fitness centre had entered liquidation proceedings.

She then searched online for other affected members and created a WhatsApp group with them, which currently has about eight members.

They hope to add more members to help each other.

Herman Sing, a 48-year-old Singaporean logistics director, underwent surgery to donate 67 per cent of his liver to an anonymous patient in 2023.

Three years on, the father of four looks energetic and cheerful, with little outward sign of the major operation he went through, which also saw his gallbladder removed, all to save a stranger he had never met, according to Shin Min Daily News.

Took up volunteering since he was 25

Sing has been volunteering since he was 25, including regularly serving with charities such as Food Bank Singapore, and donating blood plasma and platelets more than 100 times to date.

He had also signed up early with the bone marrow donor registry, indicating his willingness to help save a life if needed.

He once left his job to care for his father, who was suffering from cancer, an experience that gave him a deep appreciation for how fragile and unpredictable life can be.

After his father died, Sing decided to become a living liver donor, donating part of his liver to a patient in need in 2023.

Complications before surgery

The night before his surgery, doctors discovered that Sing's cystic duct was irregularly shaped, raising the surgical risk and prompting him to reconsider going through with it.

Sing said that when he and his wife heard the news, they thought about how the patient and their family might have waited a long time for a suitable liver donor, and were hoping for a new lease of life after the surgery.

"We couldn't bear to let their hopes be dashed. If we withdrew from the donation, all of the patient's expectations would come to nothing, and they might not get another chance with a stranger donor," he told the Chinese news outlet.

Holding on to the belief in doing good without expecting anything in return, the couple decided to proceed, and Sing successfully donated his liver.

His wife described her husband as "someone who is quite extraordinary", in a feature by Straits Times.

No major after-effects

Looking back at his decision three years on, Sing said he has not experienced any major after-effects and does not need long-term medication, though he tires more easily than before and has to be more mindful of his diet.

Despite this, he said he has no regrets, and instead wants to help as many people as he can within his means.

Sing continues to make time to volunteer, even while raising four children aged eight to 20 and working as an Asia-Pacific logistics director, a role that keeps him on call almost around the clock.

Sing's actions have also influenced those around him. Beyond getting his own family involved in volunteer work, a friend was inspired by him to donate part of his liver to a stranger as well, which Sing said moved him deeply.

"I'm glad I could inspire others to help one more family. Not everyone is suited for organ donation, but I hope to raise awareness about it, so that society can better understand and accept it," he said.

Started his own volunteer group

Sing has not slowed down since his donation, instead taking on more volunteer and community work.

To get more people involved in volunteering, he started his own volunteer group, which has since recruited more than 100 members.

He believes there is never a "best time" to do good, since life is unpredictable, and that one person's efforts are limited, so it is better to mobilise others to help as well.

"If I do three hours of volunteer work alone, I only have one pair of hands. But if I get 20 people to help, in the same three hours, that's 20 more pairs of hands," he said.

His children, inspired by their father, are also doing charity work, with his daughter even donating blood despite her fear of needles.