A woman in Singapore was at an open casting call for a modelling agency, Basic Models Management, to support her 15-year-old daughter, when she was invited to audition herself.

After passing several rounds of evaluation, the woman, Ting, signed with the modelling agency instead.

Speaking to Mothership, the agency confirmed that her daughter, Anya was not cast due to "scheduling conflicts".

Unexpected discovery

The surprise scouting was captured in season 5, episode 6 of the series 'Making of a Model', uploaded to the agency's YouTube channel.

Anya is a Singapore Permanent Resident, and her mother is Chinese while her father is French.

During the casting call with agency director Bonita Ma, Anya added that she has been in Singapore for the past eight years.

Ma asked if she had any friends that model, and the young girl mentioned that her mother used to be a model.

When Ma inquired about her mother's height, Anya revealed she was around 172cm and was currently waiting outside.

Upon hearing this, Ma immediately instructed her assistant to bring Ting into the audition room.

Return to the runway

When Ting walked in, Ma openly praised her appearance, stating that she immediately wanted to give the Chinese ex-model a "pass" to the next round.

Despite saying she was not prepared, Ting agreed to a runway trial.

When asked if she was interested in being a model, Ting expressed that she was open to the idea.

She had previously modelled in China for four to five years, but felt that as she was getting older, modelling was not a long-term career for her.

Ma reassured her, saying that times have changed and that the industry is different now.

Reflecting on the audition, Ting said, "I think it's kind of dramatic because I didn't expect to be called in to walk the runway after so many years".

Ting added that was just happy to have been there to support her daughter and help build her confidence.

After a man's credit card was fraudulently added to an unknown party's Apple Pay, charges totalling S$3,811.72 were made to the card.

The bank was only able to recover and refund the man S$355.34.

The man later filed a small claims case, arguing that the bank is liable to refund the remainder of the amount to him.

The Tribunal Magistrate presiding over the case, Joel Tan, dismissed the man's claim in a judgment on Jun. 12, 2026, arguing that the man had failed to respond appropriately to the bank's multiple alerts warning him of potential unauthorised activity on his card.

Unauthorised activities

According to the grounds of decision on the case, on Jun. 4, 2024, at around 11:14pm, the man's credit card was successfully added to the digital wallet of an Apple device.

The man did not initiate this.

The man later received two more SMS notifications about this addition, warning him to report it to the bank if this action was unauthorised.

The man took no remedial action in response to the warnings.

Between Jun. 17 and 23, a series of 22 transactions were charged to the man's credit card.

These transactions were conducted through Apple Pay, denominated in Japanese yen, and processed by merchants such as Suica, Pasmo, Icoca and ANA Pay.

The transactions loaded money into prepaid wallet systems.

The amount charged totalled 430,000 Japanese yen, or S$3,811.72.

The man did not receive notifications from the bank for these transactions as they amounted to S$200 or below, less than the S$500 or more threshold setting to trigger alerts.

Bank attempted to contact man

On Jun. 23, the bank flagged these transactions as suspicious and attempted to contact the man via telephone to verify whether he had made them.

This attempt was unsuccessful.

The bank then pre-emptively blocked the man's credit card temporarily to prevent further transactions.

The bank then sent an SMS that same day to the man to inform him about the blocking of the card for security reasons.

The man later phoned the bank to confirm that he did not authorise the transactions.

The card was then permanently blocked, and the Apple Pay authorisation was removed.

The man then filed a dispute declaration form on Jul. 22, 2024, after being advised by the bank to do so.

The charges were later paid for by the man via automatic deduction from his bank on Aug. 5, 2024.

Dispute over liability

Of the 22 transactions, the bank was only able to successfully recover two of them, amounting to S$355.34, from the merchants.

The dispute between the man and the bank was therefore over who should bear responsibility for the remaining S$3,456.38.

The man and the bank sought mediation via the Financial Industry Disputes Resolution Centre on Jul. 23, 2025, but the man chose not to accept the outcome of the mediation.

He then brought the case to the Small Claims Tribunal.

Bank argued man had been negligent

Under the relevant clause of the credit card agreement, the bank and the cardholder typically share liability for unauthorised transactions made prior to the bank being notified, with the cardholder bearing responsibility for a maximum of S$100 in total.

However, if the cardholder is found to have “acted fraudulently, was grossly negligent or failed to inform the bank of the lost or stolen card as soon as reasonably practicable”, then the cardholder bears the burden of liability.

The bank's case was that the man had acted with gross negligence and he should therefore bear the full burden of the losses.

The bank argued that the man had disclosed his credit card details to the scammer and that he had facilitated the addition of his credit card to the scammer's digital wallet by disclosing his one-time password (OTP).

The bank also argued that he had failed to take remedial action despite multiple alerts about potential unauthorised activity on his card.

Man said he did not see the initial OTP message

In response, the man "maintained steadfastly" that he had not disclosed his OTP to anyone.

The man, however, did recall an attempt to purchase an item through a TikTok advertisement, which prompted him to enter his credit card details.

The man also argued that the SMS containing the OTP arrived at 11:13pm. This would have been when he was preparing for sleep in the bedroom, with his mobile phone in the living room.

Regarding the bank's subsequent alerts, the man acknowledged receiving them, but explained that he ignored them as he was not an Apple Pay user and therefore assumed there was no relevance to him.

Likely a victim of a phishing scam

Laying out his decision, Tan wrote that he found it "more probable than not" that the man did disclose his credit card details and OTP to the scammer, likely having fallen victim to a phishing scam.

"Without both the credit card details and the OTP, the scammer would have been unable to successfully tokenise the claimant’s credit card onto their Apple device," Tan said.

This inadvertent disclosure was more likely than the alternative scenario, which is that the man's mobile device had been compromised.

Failed to take remedial steps across multiple opportunities

However, Tan noted that the disclosure of the credit card details and OTP and falling victim to a phishing scam was not enough to constitute gross negligence on the man's part.

Examining the man's actions, Tan found that "a reasonable person" in the man's position would have undertaken "three essential steps" upon receiving the bank's notification alerts.

He would monitor the alerts "in a timely manner", " report any unauthorised activity as soon as possible and take steps to block further unauthorised access.

Tan also found that the bank's initial notification containing the OTP should have "sounded the loudest of alarm bells", given that the man did not initiate the process to add his card to Apple Pay.

The subsequent alerts also made it clear that the man should contact the bank if the addition was unauthorised, Tan wrote.

Addressing the man's point that he did not notice or read the bank's alert on Jun. 4, Tan accepted the man's explanation but said:

"Prudence and reasonable care demanded that he monitor these critical communications and take appropriate remedial action the following morning. He had not done so then, nor did he act upon the two subsequent opportunities that presented themselves to him over the following days."

Tan found that the man had failed to take remedial steps "across multiple opportunities" and his pattern of inaction "cannot be characterised as a mere oversight or momentary lapse in judgment".

"Rather, it represented a sustained course of omissions that fell significantly below the standard of reasonable care as to constitute gross negligence," Tan wrote.

On these grounds, Tan dismissed the man's claims and found him liable for the remaining S$3,456.38 that was lost to the scam.

However, Tan also noted in conclusion that it was "understandable" how the man was confused about what happened, given the pace of technological change and the increasing sophistication of scam methods.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong will make a two-day visit to Kazan, Russia, from Jun. 17 to 18 to participate in the Asean-Russia Commemorative Summit (ARCS).

It will be hosted by Russian President Vladimir Putin, which will include a plenary session and a working lunch.

Commemorative summit

The summit marks both the 30th anniversary of the Asean-Russia Dialogue Partnership and the 35th anniversary of Asean-Russia relations.

Asean members and Russia will discuss ways to advance their Strategic Partnership and strengthen cooperation across key areas, including connectivity, education and culture.

Commemorative Summits are held between Asean and dialogue partners to mark significant anniversaries, as well as take stock of progress in the relationship.

The last ARCS was held in 2021 via video conference, and was attended by then-PM Lee Hsien Loong.

Singapore remains the only Asean country to impose sanctions on Russia amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Asean has also continued to engage Russia since the invasion, including during East Asia Summits and Asean Regional Forums.

On his trip, PM Wong will be accompanied by Foreign Affairs Minister Vivian Balakrishnan.

Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong will be Acting Prime Minister in his absence.

Recently, diners at Redhill Food Centre have noticed that the hawker centre houses two stalls with the same name in both English and Chinese: Redhill Pork Porridge.

One, located at unit #01-46, has a plain white signboard with its name, and two large red stickers above the menu indicating that it was listed in the Michelin Guide Singapore twice, in 2023 and 2025.

Not far away at unit #01-90, another similar white signboard boasts the same name, but no Michelin Guide stickers.

Both businesses sold Hainanese pork porridge, according to Shin Min Daily News.

But while the Michelin-listed stall only sells pork porridge with some add-ons, the other offers a wider menu that also includes other porridges with sliced fish, chicken, and cuttlefish with peanut.

Replacement stall

The Michelin-listed stall's Facebook page revealed that it was originally set up at unit #01-90, then moved to unit #01-46 on May 1.

Some time later, a new stall opened at #01-90, also named "Redhill Pork Porridge".

According to a Facebook user, they visited the Michelin-listed stall on May 22 and spoke to a lady there.

The user claimed the lady said the original unit was "taken back by the owner, who proceeded to open a porridge stall with the exact same name and product".

The staff of the two businesses also reportedly had a dispute soon after the move.

The manager of the current #01-90 stall told Shin Min that she found her stall's customised bowls and plates missing on May 1.

She accused the team behind the Michelin-listed stall of taking them when they moved to their new location, causing her to spend a few thousand dollars to order new bowls and plates.

She added that she has made a police report.

Confusion

The appearance of two similar-looking stalls in the hawker centre has created some confusion among diners.

Another Facebook user posted to ask which one was "the authentic pork porridge stall", and thought that the Michelin-listed stall had an overhaul and now used different signs.

But some regular patrons of the older business believe they know the difference.

"I've eaten [from them] for many years, I know its taste, so I won't buy from the wrong stall," a woman told Shin Min. "But customers who are not familiar with them may get the stalls mixed up."

CNA is the most-used online news source in Singapore, with Mothership coming in second place, according to the 2026 Reuters Institute Digital News Report.

The Straits Times (ST) came in third.

Digital news

CNA, Mothership, and ST were accessed by 47, 45, and 44 per cent of respondents weekly, respectively.

Here are the numbers from last year.

Landscape observations

The report noted the initiatives rolled out by different media. They noted that CNA has started an investigative unit using AI, data analysis, and open source intelligence (OSINT) tools to report on disinformation.

Meanwhile, SPH Media Trust revamped ST's website and mobile app as part of the paper's 180th anniversary in 2025, introducing features such as an AI-powered newsfeed and short article summaries.

Independent media players also saw changes in ownership.

Digital media outlet Rice Media was sold to a social media agency alongside staff layoffs earlier this year.

Global advertising giant Publicis also acquired Hepmil Media Group, the team behind SGAG, as part of its social media push.

SPH Media Trust merged The New Paper with its digital platform STOMP.

The report noted that media organisations in Singapore are facing layoffs, restructuring, and ownership changes as audiences increasingly turn to digital platforms, social media, and AI-mediated news consumption.

Offline news

For offline news sources, ST came out on top for weekly use at 35 per cent, up from 33 per cent last year.

CNA came in second at 31 per cent, down from 33 per cent.

Mediacorp Channel 5 News and Channel 8 News came in third and fourth, respectively.

Among foreign broadcasters, CNN remained the most-watched at 16 per cent, with BBC News unchanged at 13 per cent.

Social media

In terms of social media use for news, WhatsApp saw the biggest jump, rising from 33 per cent in 2025 to 40 per cent 2026.

Facebook also rose to 38 per cent, overtaking YouTube, which came in third at 35 per cent.

Instagram grew to 29 per cent, while TikTok rose to 22 per cent.

Trust

All major news brands in Singapore recorded gains in brand trust this year.

CNA was the most trusted new brand among those surveyed, at 78 per cent.

ST came in second at 77 per cent, a rise from 75 per cent last year.

Overall trust in the news in Singapore stood at 46 per cent, compared to the past year's 45 per cent. This is also above the global average of 37 per cent.

Singapore's ranking on the Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index remained at 123rd this year.

Hong Kong star Aaron Kwok, 60, was spotted in various parts of Singapore the last few days.

According to various Xiaohongshu videos, he appeared to be at Changi Airport, Dempsey Hill, and Resorts World Sentosa (RWS).

Some of the videos showed him at shoots.

For work?

Kwok was seen in a video posted on Sunday, Jun. 14 at a duty-free store in Changi Airport.

He was a blue-and-white striped shirt.

A video on Jun. 15 showed Kwok in a white shirt and jeans at Dempsey Hill.

He was accompanied by a crew.

The actor and singer was later seen at RWS in a white singlet accompanied by security personnel.

He was seen at Weave mall and The Laurus, a luxury hotel on Sentosa.

The purpose of his Singapore visit was not immediately clear.

He last performed in Singapore in June 2023.

Reactions

Social media users expressed shock that Kwok is already 60, but still looks younger than his age due to his jet black thick hair and toned physique.

Kwok is one of Hong Kong's "Four Heavenly Kings".

He is married to Chinese model Moka Fang, 38.

They welcomed their third child in October, 2025.

A completed renovated unit was mistakenly demolished by workers when they entered the wrong unit in Jiangsu, China.

The bizarre mishap landed all parties in court, where the affected homeowner was awarded RMB11,000 (S$2,087) in compensation, ST Headline reported.

The wrong unit

The incident occurred in a residential complex in Wuxi City, Jiangsu.

The owner of the third unit on the fourth floor (unit 403) had hired a renovation company to carry out demolition and renovation work.

The project foreman instructed the workers to head up and retrieve the key, which was left at the unit's door.

However, the workers failed to check the floor numbers and accidentally stopped at the third unit of the third floor (unit 303) instead.

Furthermore, the previous tenant of unit 303 had just moved out and routinely hid the key under the doormat, ST Headline noted.

Since the units had identical layouts and the key was found at the door, they assumed that unit 303 was the correct unit and started work.

As a result, unit 303 was completely demolished, with the walls, false ceiling, kitchen and bathroom facilities all torn down and removed.

All existing furniture and appliances were also cleared out.

When the owner of unit 303 visited the apartment the next day, he was shocked to find it in ruins.

He immediately called the police.

Judge's ruling

According to Tianyan News, the apartment owners of units 303 and 403 attempted mediation multiple times but were unable to reach an agreement.

The case was then transferred to a local court.

The judge clarified the responsibilities of each party, saying that it was the workers' failure to verify the unit number before entering the house, and that they were directly at fault for causing the accident.

The project foreman was also held liable for his failure to fulfil his on-site management responsibilities, indicating a clear oversight in supervision.

The judge mediated the dispute based on the original renovation agreement and the loss of items.

The apartment owner of 303 agreed to make concessions and voluntarily reduced the compensation claim from the initial RMB20,000 (S$3,794) to RMB11,000 (S$2,087), Tianyan News reported.

The renovation workers and the contractor bore the cost of RMB6,000 (S$1,138) and RMB5,000 (S$949), respectively.

Both parties have since paid the amount in full.

A man riding a three-wheel personal mobility aid (PMA) in Yishun was conveyed to the hospital after apparently losing control while speeding on a pedestrian path.

The incident occurred at about 7:30am on Jun. 14 at Yishun Avenue 8.

In a video circulating online, a man was seen lying unconscious next to an overturned PMA.

Blood stains were apparently visible on the pavement.

A passer-by could be heard saying “speeding” repeatedly.

“I cannot touch him,” he said before the video cut to an image of the man lying on the ground in an unconscious state.

According to the captions of the video, the person who uploaded the clip was apparently jogging when the rider sped past him.

“He was going as fast as the motorcycles on the road and almost hit me,” he wrote.

About 10 seconds later, the PMA user apparently lost control and “crashed on his own”.

He was said to have only regained partial consciousness when emergency responders arrived.

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) confirmed that it received a call for assistance at about 7:35am on Jun. 14.

One person was conveyed to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital for treatment.

A pundit on prediction market Polymarket apparently placed a US$990,068 (S$1,268,000) bet for World Cup favourites Spain to win its match against tournament debutants and 67th-ranked Cape Verde.

If things had gone the pundit's way, the bettor would have walked away with more than US$85,000 (S$108,900).

The odds were set at 92 per cent.

Instead, Cape Verde held Spain to a draw, and the bettor walked away with a million dollars less in their bank.

Before the David-versus-Goliath showdown on Jun. 16 between Spain and Cape Verde, Polymarket shared about the million-dollar bet in a post on X.

🚨BREAKING: Someone just put $1M on Spain to WIN their match vs Cape Verde today

This pays out is $1,085,943.48 on Polymarket pic.twitter.com/7ODo3dJ7Pl

— Polymarket Sports (@PolymarketSport) June 15, 2026

By the time the final whistle went off, the scoreline remained unchanged at 0-0, thanks to a heroic debut showing by Cape Verde's 40-year-old goalkeeper.

Another "sure bet" pundit also lost a ton after laying out millions on a Belgium victory against Egypt. They drew.

🚨BREAKING: Someone named “leeeroyjenkins” just put $8.6M on Belgium to WIN their match vs Egypt today

This pays out $13,142,257.58 on Polymarket pic.twitter.com/H8Y8PSCkyS

— Polymarket Sports (@PolymarketSport) June 15, 2026

Polymarket is banned in Singapore after it was found to provide unlawful gambling services, The Straits Times reported.

Those who circumvent blocking measures may be found in contravention of the Gambling Control Act and may be fined up to S$10,000, jailed for up to six months, or both.

A 61-year-old man was arrested for a rash act after jumping off a moving ambulance on Seletar Expressway (SLE) and running on the road.

He was then knocked down by a car, Lianhe Zaobao reported.

The incident happened on Jun. 15 after the Lentor Avenue exit along the SLE and towards Punggol.

In response to Mothership's queries, the police said they received a call for assistance at about 2:40pm.

They added that the man was conveyed conscious to the hospital and was subsequently arrested for a rash act.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they received a call for assistance at about 2:50pm, and conveyed a person to the hospital.

Police investigations are ongoing.