The boss of a company in China said he had previously fired an employee for allegedly refusing to invite his own mother to his wedding as he felt ashamed of her appearance.

Sin Chew Daily reported that the founder of Henan Mining Crane Co. Ltd, Cui Peijun (transliterated), was said to be an extremely generous boss known for distributing year-end bonuses exceeding 100 million yuan (over S$19 million) for two consecutive years.

Special summer internship training programme

On Jul. 21, the company launched a special summer internship training programme for its employees' children and recruited a total of 331 students, finance.sina.com reported.

At the launch ceremony, Cui told students that giving back to parents and being filial to them was the foundation of being a good person.

A person who cannot even uphold the most basic filial piety does not deserve the respect of a company or others, he said.

Didn't let mother attend wedding, got fired

He then recounted how one of his employees got married, but Cui saw her sitting in the shade next to the factory during the ceremony, Sin Chew reported.

When Cui asked the employee why his mother did not attend the wedding, the employee allegedly responded: "Because my mother's face is not good-looking, I'm afraid she will embarrass me."

According to sohu.com, this made Cui very angry and he told the employee: "You lost your father when you were two years old, and this is how you treat your mother?"

He then fired the employee on the spot.

Gives mother a job

After the employee realised how difficult it was to find a job, and how well he was being paid at the company, he returned to Cui's office.

He then knelt down and begged for another chance.

However, Cui refused, reportedly telling the employee he looked down on him and he had to leave.

Cui then arranged for the employee's mother, who had retired from a workshop, to work in the logistics department.

He matched her past salary.

Debate

Following this, some commenters strongly agreed with the company culture and acknowledged that while skills can be developed in the workplace, character is difficult to change.

However, others pointed out that though companies may promote values, filial piety falls under personal morality.

If an employee has not made mistakes in their work, dismissing them for such reasons could possibly be deemed an infringement of workers' rights.

Aerialist Megan Sophie Lau gave a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to prepare for her performance at the 2026 National Day Parade (NDP).

According to an interview with CNA, Lau began her aerialist journey in 2025, when she was offered a role in the aquatic theatre show House of Dancing Water in Macau.

"Highest I've ever done"

In an Instagram post on Jul. 19, the 25-year-old took viewers behind the scenes of her preparations for NDP 2026, where she will perform 30m above the National Stadium on Aug. 9.

“For the past few Monday nights, I've been sprinting to the National Stadium to get ready for night rehearsals for NDP,” she said.

Her preparations begin with putting on her in-ear monitor (IEM), before climbing into her harness and putting on her helmet and eyewear.

"Safety first," she said. "And no, this isn't overkill. It's because of the drones flying around us while we are in the air."

Lau is one of two professional aerialists who will join local singer Jasmine Sokko during her performance of her single, "You'll Be Okay", where they will be suspended 30m above the National Stadium.

The performance will feature about 300 indoor drones performing a synchronised display around them.

For Lau, nothing beats the feeling of defying gravity.

"Honestly I love every second of it," she said, adding that 30m is the highest she has ever performed at.

The video also features a point-of-view clip of Lau performing a mid-air flip high above the stadium.

"I am so excited. So see you at NDP 2026," she said.

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A post shared by Megan Lau (@megansophielau)

Singaporean host Diana Ser shared in a July 2026 Instagram post that two of her three children will be heading off to university in 2027.

According to vibes by 8world, Ser and her husband James Lye, who was a former local actor turned banking executive, have been married for 22 years and have three children — Jake, Christy, and Jayme.

As her children "embark on exciting adventures", Ser shared some life advice for them, accompanied by a series of their childhood photos.

Life advice tips

Ser wants her children to remember rules of thumb that she calls "Mama's Mantra".

Firstly, Ser reminded her children to always iron their clothes, noting that this is something her children should always do, except in the event of an emergency evacuation.

"Clean, well-pressed clothes speak volumes about self-respect and discipline," she said.

Secondly, she reminded them that nature calms, refreshes and rejuvenates.

Thirdly, she told them to not just make friends, but cultivate relationships that last.

"These provide emotional and psychological support, and relationships anchor you to a place," she added.

Next, she encouraged them to get enough sleep as it would make them look and think better.

Finally, she advised them to "get perspectives on everything", but ground their decisions to what matters to them — their values, passion and loved ones.

Reactions

Responding to her post, commenters online thanked her for the post and said it was "great advice".

One commenter also said she would use it for her son in the future.

Samuel Seow, a former entertainment lawyer, has died.

He was 53.

A Jul. 26 statement from his family and conveyed by a close business associate, said he died peacefully in his sleep, according to Stomp.

His cause of death was confirmed by a doctor to be a heart attack, it was also reported.

His family, attending to his death in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, has requested for privacy.

Founded talent agency

Seow, a Singaporean, was also the founder of Beam Artistes, which launched in 2010.

At one point it represented about 20 artistes, including Ase Wang, Shane Pow, Jaymee Ong and Paul Foster.

In 2025, he became the founder of two male pageants, Misters of Nusantara and Masters of the World.

Masters of the World 2026 was set to take place in September 2026.

Legal troubles

Seow was struck off the roll in May 2022.

He had admitted before a disciplinary tribunal in 2019 to eight instances of professional misconduct involving three female employees at his office between March and April 2018.

Seow pleaded guilty and was sentenced in October 2022 to four weeks' jail and a S$1,500 fine for assaulting his niece and using criminal force on another female employee.

Tribute

Local filmmaker Kelvin Sng said in a Facebook tribute that he received the "most shocking news last night that my Godfather Samuel Seow has passed on".

Sng, who directed movies including The Fortune Handbook (2017) and King Of Hawkers (2024) added that Seow became his godparent back in 2010 when he was baptised as a Catholic.

"Despite whatever that happened over the years, I choose to remember the good times and his goodness," he said.

"Rest in peace Sam."

The Embassy of Italy in Bangkok, Thailand, and the Italian students involved in an incident where they were rowdy on a train in Bangkok, have apologised to the Thai public.

This was after a group of Italian teenagers were filmed speaking loudly and behaving inappropriately towards a fellow commuter, a Thai local, on the BTS Skytrain.

Train incident

A video of the incident circulated widely online.

Khaosod English reported that it has attracted over 15.4 million views on X alone.

The video, which was posted by a Thai woman on Jul. 23, showed her attempting to ask the teenagers to quieten down.

However, they reacted rudely.

A boy was seen gesturing by raising a middle finger.

One comment caught on video included: "Sorry that we brought money to your country".

Commuters on the BTS Skytrain typically keep their volumes down as a form of respect and mindfulness for others in an enclosed public space.

Apologies

The video triggered widespread anger among Thais, with the woman involved later filing a police report.

In response to the public outcry, the Italian embassy in Bangkok apologised via a trilingual Facebook statement on Jul. 25.

It criticised the behaviour of the underage tourists who were in Thailand participating in a school educational trip.

The statement read: "The Embassy of Italy in Bangkok expresses its deep regret over the incident and strongly condemns the inappropriate behaviour of a group of Italian underage tourists participating in a school educational trip, as shown in a video circulated on social media."

"The embassy extends its sincere apologies to the people of Thailand and to everyone affected by this incident."

"Italians deeply understand and appreciate the values that Thai society places on respect for others, courtesy and harmonious coexistence – values that are equally cherished and upheld by the Italian republic," the statement added.

It also emphasised that their "inappropriate behaviour" did not in any way represent the Italian people, nor did it "reflect the values of mutual respect, friendship, and courtesy that have long formed the foundation of the enduring relationship between the Italian Republic and the Kingdom of Thailand".

The embassy also released a separate video of four representatives apologising directly to the Thai public.

Admitting that they had initially intended to address the situation on Jul. 24, they explained that they postponed it as they were "worried" and "scared".

They also acknowledged that it was a "wrong decision" to delay apologising for the incident and pleaded for forgiveness from the Thai people.

One representative said: "I'm personally extremely sorry for what has happened."

"I perfectly know that money can't buy respect, and I'm really sorry for all the people offended and for having offended Thai culture."

Another representative said they did not condone such behaviour, noting that the teenagers involved in the incident would be sent back to Italy as soon as possible.

The students involved would also undergo further guidance to ensure strict respect for local cultures in the future, a representative added.

Charges, another chance

The Nation Thailand reported that the group of teenagers and their supervisor later met the woman at the station with an interpreter present.

A video posted by "1234aaawry" on TikTok showed them individually apologising for their behaviour.

One woman said: "I apologise to you, to all Thai people and to your family."

Both sides then reportedly agreed to delete photos and videos of the incident.

Police charged five of the six with insulting another person in their presence and fined each 1,000 baht (S$38), The Nation Thailand reported.

The individual seen making the middle-finger gesture in the video faced an additional charge of committing an indecent act in public, and a 2,000 baht (S$76) fine.

Even though the Thai woman felt the amount might not be a severe punishment for the group, she said she respected the officers' decision.

She also recognised the sincerity and remorse behind the apology and believed those who admitted wrongdoing and apologised should be given another chance.

HarbourFront Centre will cease operations on Monday, Jul. 27, 2026.

Sunday, Jul. 26 is its last day.

The mall made the announcement previously on Jun. 19.

Shutters down

Members of the public have been posting photos and their memories of the place.

HarbourFront Centre opened in 1978 as the World Trade Centre.

It was renovated and reopened in 2003, when it became HarbourFront Centre.

Photos shared online showed that many of the tenants have already moved out before the end of July 2026.

The shutters on many shops have come down when Mothership visited the premises on Jul. 20.

A member of the public Heritage SG Memories Facebook group wrote in his accompanying caption of the photos he shared of HarbourFront Centre: "I will remember in my heart."

While most of the shops have closed, Poh Kim Video was still operating on the final day of the mall's operations.

Other businesses that were still open on the final day, included Seoul Garden, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Starbucks, Pastamania, and Song Fa Bak Kut Teh.

To be redeveloped into 33-storey building

The 13-storey HarbourFront Centre will be redeveloped into a 33-storey mixed-use development featuring office and retail spaces and an elevated park that stretches towards the waterfront.

Redevelopment is expected to be completed in the first half of 2031.

The new Singapore Cruise Centre opened on Jul. 7 after moving from HarbourFront Centre to the new HarbourFront passenger terminal.

Located just 70m away from the existing terminal, the new terminal is in a red terracotta building at 5 HarbourFront Avenue, Singapore 099549.

Are you somebody who used to enjoy going to LAN shops with your friends? Do you remember eating fried nuggets in between a game of Dota or Counter-Strike as your main form of sustenance?

Or perhaps you’ve recently picked up a game with your partner and both of you have been sucked in by it? You might want to check out Elixir Esports’ newest outlet at Clarke Quay.

Located at the space formerly occupied by Haidilao, this is the Singaporean gaming and lifestyle brand’s fifth and largest outlet at almost 9,000 square feet, sporting billiard tables, a food menu with light alcoholic beverages and private rooms for gaming.

The other LAN shops opened by Elixir Esports are located at Beauty World, Lavender, Holland Village and The Cathay.

Alright, you might be thinking – will the Clarke Quay outlet be able to provide an elevated experience of what I used to enjoy at LAN shops?

Here’s what we found when we were given the opportunity to visit it.

Not just any LAN shop

You might be forgiven for wondering if you have stepped into the right place at first glance – visitors will find themselves greeted instead by a food counter and a display rack with various gaming accessories.

You will also be met by billiard tables, with prices starting from S$18 per hour during off-peak periods, bright comfy orange chairs to rest on, lockers to store their cues and even a foosball table.

There’s even a more private VIP room that can fit up to eight pax, starting from S$45 per hour for off-peak hours with a minimum rental period of three hours.

You can also enjoy a free fruit platter, all served to you either in the comfort of your rooms or at your billiard table, regardless of whether you are here to game or play some pool.

Beyond all of these however, what can you expect from the actual gaming rooms themselves?

Well-equipped

Customers will have the option of choosing between playing in a solo room, a room for two, a room for three or even a room for five, as can be seen below.

There’s also the premium solo room which sports unique features such as a charging dock, extra USB cables for your devices and additional monitor screens.

PCs in the rooms for three and five are equipped with NVIDIA RTX 5060 Ti graphics cards, while those who opt for the solo or couple rooms can enjoy PCs that run on the even-better NVIDIA RTX 5070 GPUs.

All stations are equipped with 2K 300Hz monitors for visual clarity, as well as a rotating selection of high-end boutique mice, keyboards and headsets to optimise your gaming experience.

All of the chairs are also fully reclinable, with the chairs in the solo and premium solo rooms in particular reclinable by up to 150 degrees, making it ideal for naps after an intense gaming session.

What’s more, the chairs in the premium solo rooms come with an additional leg rest too.

That’s not all, however.

All of the rooms are also equipped with free sweets, towels and wet wipes, thereby allowing you to freshen up, especially if you played a particularly hard game of Dota that involved a lot of tilting.

For rooms with windows, all of the curtains can be voiced controlled as well to provide you with a secluded gaming environment.

Rates for the rooms and billiard tables are as follows:

• Solo rooms: S$7 per hour (weekday), S$8 per hour (weekend)

  • This rate also applies to each PC in the couple rooms, rooms for three and rooms for five

• Premium solo rooms: S$9 per hour (weekday), S$10 per hour (weekend)
• Billiard tables: S$18 per hour (off-peak), S$24 per hour (peak: 5pm-3am)
• VIP billiard room: S$45 per hour (off-peak), S$60 per hour (peak), minimum rental period of three hours

Half price from Jul. 27 to Aug. 3

Still think about whether you should check it out? From Jul. 27 to Aug. 3, Elixir Esports will be charging half price on both its gaming rooms and billiard tables.

This means you can enjoy a gaming room from as low as S$3.50 per hour and a billiard table from S$9 per hour.

Note that GST and Service Charge applies. For billiard tables, cues are free and there is no limit to the number of players who can participate.

Plus, as of June, Elixir Esports utilises Singpass in the creation of new members’ accounts to ensure their security. Existing members are unaffected by this change and can login as usual.

You can also look out for Elixir Esport’s future community initiatives with both Singapore youth and elderly via their social media.

Not bad.

Elixir Esports @ Clarke Quay

Address: 3D River Valley Road, #02-04, Clarke Quay, Singapore 179023

Opening hours: 24/7

This sponsored article made the author decide to plan an outing to a LAN shop with his friends.

Top photos by Elixir Esports

Some tenants at Orchard Central will have to vacate their units by end-November 2026, as the mall is set to undergo renovation and refurbishment works.

According to a report by The Straits Times, the works are part of an asset enhancement initiative by the mall's landlord Far East Organization.

Tenants to vacate by Nov. 30

ST reported that some tenants received a letter dated Jun. 1 from Far East Organization informing them that they would have to vacate their units by Nov. 30.

In the letter, it was reportedly stated that Far East Organization will be renovating and refurbishing the mall as part of an asset enhancement initiative, and works are expected to begin on Dec. 1.

Based on ST's conversations with some of the mall’s tenants, those affected include tenants on levels five to eight, as well as levels 11 and 12.

The mall’s car park occupies its ninth floor.

The affected tenants are also reportedly on varying lease terms.

Some of their leases expire at the end of the year, while others have been extended till the mall's last day of operations.

Some leases also run beyond Nov. 30.

Earlier on Jul. 10, The Business Times reported that multinational consultancy firm Deloitte had secured a permanent space in Orchard Central, where it will occupy several upper-floor levels.

In an Instagram post that same day, Deloitte said the move is expected to take place in 2027.

In-principle approval granted for offices

In a statement to ST, Far East Organization said the planned enhancements for Orchard Central include new dining options, the integration of new public art, as well as an improved pedestrian link bridge connecting the mall to the future revamped Istana Park.

However, these plans remain subject to approval from the relevant authorities.

While Orchard Central is currently approved for retail, F&B, and lifestyle uses, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) has granted in-principle approval for the introduction of office spaces.

Far East Organization's executive director of property services, Marc Boey, told ST that the group believes the next phase of growth for Orchard Road will be driven by a stronger mix of retail and lifestyle offerings, homes and workplaces across the precinct.

He said Orchard Central’s central location and its direct connection to Somerset MRT station put it in a good position to support this growth.

Boey added that the mall will continue to operate as a retail and lifestyle destination, and that Far East Organization remains committed to offering shoppers a mix of retail, dining and lifestyle experiences.

Any works would also be carefully planned and implemented to minimise disruption to shoppers and tenants, he said, with necessary operational and security measures put in place.

Mothership has separately reached out to Far East Organization for comment.

A 62-year-old man was arrested for suspected drink-driving after an early morning accident in Toa Payoh on Jul. 24.

The police said they were alerted to the accident at about 3:10am.

They said the car was believed to have self-skidded along Lorong 1 Toa Payoh towards Lorong 6 Toa Payoh.

A white car apparently crashed into the railing in the middle of the road, photos and a video circulating online showed.

It also hit a lamp post.

The driver was taken conscious to Tan Tock Seng Hospital and later arrested for drink-driving, the police said.

Police investigations are ongoing.

When a customer gave a well-known cake shop in Phuket, Thailand, a one-star review, the business decided to sue her for defamation, seeking 5 million baht (S$191,544) in damages.

On Jul. 23, a court in Phuket dismissed the case, the lawyer who represented the customer said in a Facebook post.

"The consumer wins," he wrote in the caption along with a photo of him and his client.

The cake shop, believed to be called Sharky Eye, has reportedly since closed down.

The 1-star review

In 2025, the customer visited the shop, then wrote online that the cake was not tasty and cost too much, according to The Thaiger.

The review apparently went viral at the time.

In his Facebook post, the lawyer Arm Suwannaraksa said that the cake shop chose to sue the customer rather than listen to the feedback and reach out for clarification.

Following the verdict, the customer, Bootsakorn Plesamoot, shared screenshots of the conversation she had with the cake shop regarding her review.

In one message, the shop allegedly threatened to cause her trouble if she did not delete the review.

"I don't know how you've reviewed other shops, but if you don't want any trouble and want to get out of this uncomfortable situation, I suggest you delete that review, and everything will be over," they wrote.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1125"] Image from Bootsakorn Plesamoot's Facebook[/caption]

Sharky Eye has also posted about the verdict on its Facebook page, stating simply that the case was dismissed.

A lesson for businesses

Suwannaraksa believes this case should serve as a lesson for businesses in Thailand.

"Suing consumers should never be the first option. It should be the last," he wrote in his post.

He said that honest criticism from customers deserves a fair hearing, and businesses should use it to improve or respond with reasons, not with court papers.

"As a lawyer, if I were advising a business owner, I would always say that good communication and proper problem-solving usually deliver better results than taking the matter to court."

According to The Thaiger, such a case is not uncommon in the country — businesses have repeatedly used Thailand's  defamation laws against customers who give criticism.

Legal experts have termed suits like this "strategic lawsuits against public participation", said to be aimed at silencing critics by draining them financially and emotionally.