The eldest son of the Malaysian king is potentially facing a S$2 billion tax bill over the proposed sale of his land in Singapore, but said he was "more than happy" to pay taxes in both countries.

Ismail Ibrahim said in a Sep. 3 post on X that "this is normal" as a regular taxpayer.

"No complication and more than happy to contribute to both countries. Should make it double."

Sale of land

The crown prince and regent of Johor was responding to another X user claiming that Malaysians did not need to pay taxes in Malaysia but had to do so in other countries.

This was in reference to the proposed sale of his land in the Tyersall Park area, Malaysiakini reported.

According to The Business Times, Ismail is seeking to sell the 16.6 hectares of land, which includes a plot he obtained in a land swap with the city-state's government in 2025.

That would enable properties being built on the land to be further from the Unesco World Heritage Site Botanic Gardens.

The S$2 billion tax estimated by three local property analysts is imposed when the government grants planning permission or other approvals increasing the land's value, BT reported.

Malaysiakini reported that the Singapore Land Authority, who administers the tax, said it does not comment on market speculation regarding the intentions of landowners or potential private transactions.

Residential use

The Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) had previously said in March 2026 that Ismail applied to develop the land for residential use.

He reportedly planned to develop his land parcels at Holland Road for residential uses, if approved, for low-rise, low-density housing and Good Class Bungalows.

In a press release on Mar. 17, URA said it received a development application from the ROJ.

The URA has reviewed the application with technical agencies and is proposing to rezone the ROJ's land parcels to "residential" status.

A representative for Ismail declined to comment.

Singapore’s 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) entered the "Unhealthy" range in the morning of Sep. 4, as hazy conditions affected the country.

The PSI first crossed 100 at 7am, and reached 105 at 10am, according to the National Environment Agency's (NEA) website.

Air quality is classified as "Unhealthy" when the 24-hour PSI exceeds 100.

The Meteorological Service Singapore said earlier this week that hazy conditions are expected in the first half of September, with dry weather causing an increase in hotspot activity and smoke haze in the region.

In a joint media release issued on behalf of agencies in the Haze Task Force (HTF) on Friday, NEA said it will begin issuing daily haze advisories from Friday evening.

This is the first time the PSI has entered the "Unhealthy" range due to haze since Oct. 8, 2023, the agency said.

Daily haze advisories

Agencies under the HTF have implemented their respective action plans and advisories to protect the health and well-being of the public, NEA said.

The agency’s daily haze advisories will include a 24-hour PSI forecast, which members of the public can use to plan activities and events for the following day.

It added that the health impact of the haze is dependent on each individual’s health status, the PSI level, and the duration and intensity of outdoor activities.

Reducing outdoor activities and physical exertion can help minimise the effects of haze exposure, NEA said.

The public is also advised to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated.

People with chronic heart and lung conditions should also ensure that their medication is on hand and readily accessible.

Vulnerable persons, especially the elderly, pregnant women, children, and those with chronic heart and lung conditions should seek medical attention promptly if they develop symptoms or feel unwell, said the agency.

Current air quality readings and advisories are available on www.haze.gov.sg, www.nea.gov.sg, as well as the myENV app.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has also worked with healthcare institutions and long-term care providers to put haze preparedness measures in place.

These include the use of air purifiers and fans, as well as portable air coolers, where appropriate, to reduce ambient temperatures.

The public healthcare institutions are also monitoring patients closely for possible health effects of the haze and will provide appropriate medical intervention where necessary, NEA affirmed.

A 57-year-old man in China ended up stranded on a mountain after asking an AI for directions, and had to be rescued by firefighters.

The man, surnamed Yang, got lost on the afternoon of Aug. 30 while hiking in Yinzhou district in Ningbo, Zhejiang, according to NetEase.

He went off the trail

Yang, originally from Hunan, has worked in Ningbo for years.

He exercises regularly and had gone up the mountainous area that weekend to hike.

Upon reaching the summit, he decided to try a different route down. He followed a stream, but realised the path got noticeably harder.

Unsure what to do next, he turned to an AI app for directions.

It told him that going down along the stream was the wrong way. Instead, he should move away from the streambed and head for higher ground.

Yang followed the advice and started climbing. But it did not get any easier, with thick bushes and steep, slippery slopes.

After several rounds of going up and down the hillside, he was exhausted and completely lost. He eventually called for help.

Firefighters found him by shouting

Firefighters reached the foot of the mountain and began searching based on the location he had sent.

However, they had trouble making contact with him as his phone line was constantly engaged. When the team got to the spot he had marked, he was not there.

They eventually reached him again after several tries, and got him to turn on live location sharing.

As they combed through the area, they shouted as they went. Yang heard them and called back, and they followed the sound to him before bringing him safely down.

The AI's reply

The next day, Yang went back to the AI to complain that it had led him the wrong way, and said he should have just used a navigation app, Sin Chew Daily reported.

The AI replied: "Haha, true! Looking back, if you'd just used navigation and followed a proper trail yesterday, you wouldn't have ended up going down that 45-degree slope and having such a rough time."

The National Stadium will be hosting four international football friendlies in November 2026, featuring Singapore, Brazil, Japan, and Paraguay.

The Singapore Lions will play Paraguay on Nov. 13, 8pm, followed by a match between Japan and Brazil on Nov. 14, 6:15pm.

Nov. 17 will feature a double-header, starting with Singapore taking on Brazil at 6pm, followed by Japan facing Paraguay at 9:10pm.

The four matches are part of the inaugural Mizuho Blue Challenge – The Kallang Football Series Singapore, The Kallang Group and Dentsu Sports International (DSI) announced in a joint press release on Sep. 3.

In the FIFA world rankings as of Sep. 2, Brazil is fifth, Japan are 17th and Paraguay are 34th.

Tickets

Tickets to all four matches go on sale on Sep. 4 at 12pm via The Kallang's website.

For the opening match between Singapore and Paraguay, ticket prices start from S$28 for Category 4 seats "to encourage more people to support the Lions on home ground", according to the press release.

Fans who wish to get a VIP seat to that game can grab it at S$188.

As for the other three friendlies, prices start from S$98 for a Category 4 seat, and go up to S$888 for a VIP seat.

Here are the various ticket categories and prices:

There will also be a S$6 booking fee per ticket for tickets S$50 and above, and S$3 per ticket for those under S$50.

Singapore head coach Gavin Lee said the team is "excited for any opportunity to play against strong opposition".

"These kinds of matches are invaluable to us because they test us and show us where we are and, more importantly, where we still need to improve.

We’ve made good progress, but there’s still a lot of work ahead of us, and every game we play now is about helping us prepare for the Asian Cup."

Tommy Koh, former ambassador-at-large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), announced his retirement earlier in August, bringing an end to 55 years of service.

He was also conferred the Minister for Foreign Affairs Lifetime Distinguished Service Award by Foreign Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan on Aug. 7.

Throughout his life, said Koh, he was never interested in pursuing wealth. Instead, he wanted to pursue justice.

"I wanted to use the law to defend the poor against the rich, and the weak against the strong," the 88-year-old said in a video posted on the MFA's Instagram page on Sep. 1.

Young ambassador to the United Nations

At the age of 30, Koh was appointed Singapore's permanent representative to the United Nations.

He recalled hesitating when then-Foreign Minister S Rajaratnam first asked him to take on the role, as he felt he was not qualified for it.

"I was too young... No experience," he said, but there was no one else to take on the position.

According to him, most of the ambassadors at the UN were much older and more senior than him.

In that sense, he considered himself to be "very lucky", as it meant that he was able to learn from senior diplomats who took him under their wing, and helped him understand the workings of international diplomacy.

Spent a decade on the Law of the Sea

Beyond his role at the UN, Koh also served as Singapore’s ambassador to Canada and Mexico.

He was also Singapore’s contact person with China and led the Singapore delegation to the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Being a country close to the sea, said Koh, Singapore was a "transshipment point" and a hub for navigation and trade.

"The sea is very important to us, and the old laws governing the seas were breaking down," he recalled.

As such, when the UN decided to convene a conference to negotiate a new international law governing the seas, Koh told the Singapore government that the country had to participate to protect its interests as a trading nation, shipping nation and port state.

He eventually spent 10 years working on UNCLOS.

Life was harder for his wife

Behind Koh's long diplomatic career was his wife, Poh Siew Aing, who he said had to make a "dramatic" transition.

Koh described his wife as a pessimist who would often warn him that things could go wrong.

"I’m always telling her, don’t worry, everything will be okay," he said.

"Most of the time I’m right," he added with a quip.

For his wife, the journey was far more challenging, he said.

Poh went from being a medical student who had never travelled abroad to becoming the wife of a UN ambassador.

"I was happy in the UN, but for her, she had to look after the two children," Koh said.

She also had to learn how to cook and host guests, as she had to take care of the diplomats and VIPs visiting New York.

"Life was harder for her than for me", he said. "The transition was too dramatic for her."

But despite the challenges, Poh stood firmly by her husband throughout his diplomatic career.

Lessons from his parents

Koh also reflected on the influence of his parents, whom he described as very different people.

His mother was Shanghainese while his father was Hokkien.

His father was a businessman and a "frustrated linguist", while his mother had been an actress and dancer when she was young.

Koh said he learnt different lessons from each of them.

"From my mother, I would say I learned to love the arts. From my father, I learned something else, which is courage."

That courage, he said, included having the conviction to stand up to bullies and defend Singapore even when the odds were against it.

"From very young, I sort of championed the underdog, wanted everyone to be able to lead a life of dignity."

Koh also joked that he was never particularly interested in making money for himself — a trait his mother did not appreciate.

Singapore's success is "nothing short of a miracle"

Looking back at Singapore’s development, Koh described the country’s success over the past 61 years as "nothing short of a miracle".

He said he was proud of the racial and religious harmony Singapore has achieved.

"I'm particularly proud of the harmony between people of different races and religions," he said.

He pointed to the fact that Singapore’s President and Chief Justice are both from minority communities as an example of the country’s progress.

Koh also said Singapore had done well in educating its young people and preparing them for a rapidly changing world.

With developments in digital technology, robotics, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology, he urged young Singaporeans not to be afraid of change.

"We are well-positioned to do well in the new world," he affirmed. "I'm confident that we will continue to thrive and prosper."

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A 26-year-old Singapore distance runner has been charged with stealing a pair of running shoes and a set of training cones from a Decathlon outlet.

According to charge sheets seen by Mothership, Ko Wen Qiang, Keane, allegedly stole a pair of KD900X running shoes worth S$139.90 in July 2025 from a Decathlon outlet in Kallang.

He also allegedly stole a set of training cones worth S$25 in September 2025 from the same outlet.

According to CNA, Ko was charged on Jul. 1.

He had a further mention hearing on Sep. 4 and will return to court on Oct. 2.

For committing theft in dwelling, Ko could face a jail term of up to seven years and a fine.

Represented Singapore

According to Singapore Athletics’ Facebook page, Ko represented Singapore at the 2023 World Athletics Road Running Championships in the men’s half marathon, finishing in about an hour and 21 minutes.

He came in second at the 2024 Standard Chartered half marathon national championships.

According to The Straits Times in January, Ko said he had been based in Slovenia since late October 2025 while working remotely as a business developer for companies in Singapore and Slovenia.

Ko had reportedly joined a training camp in the Slovenian city of Celje from May to July 2025 in a bid to qualify for the marathon at the 2025 SEA Games.

According to Ko’s Instagram profile, which was taken down on Sep. 4, he was also an ambassador for a shoe brand.

A total of four people from the construction sector were arrested by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for suspected employment-related offences during a Sep. 2 enforcement operation.

According to a Sep. 4 MOM press release, they include two company directors and two company staff.

Suspected offences

MOM is investigating them for suspected offences under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA), such as false declarations and collection of employment-related kickbacks.

The directors are suspected of making fraudulent Central Provident Fund (CPF) contributions to locals not under their employment (phantom workers), to inflate their companies' foreign worker quotas.

They then allegedly brought in migrant workers through the inflated foreign worker quotas.

Another 21 people suspected of involvement in such illegal "phantom worker" arrangements are currently assisting in the investigation, the release noted.

MOM said it will continue to take action against companies suspected of inflating their foreign worker quotas through such illegal practices.

Penalties

The release stated that under the EFMA, making false declarations in work pass applications carries a fine of up to S$20,000, up to two years' jail, or both.

MOM will bar entities or individuals convicted of such offences from employing foreign workers.

Those who collude with companies by providing their particulars for fraudulent CPF contributions to inflate foreign worker quotas may also be prosecuted for abetment of false declaration.

This carries a fine of up to S$20,000, up to two years' jail, or both.

The collection of employment-related kickbacks is an offence punishable with a fine of up to S$30,000, up to two years' jail, or both.

Reminder

According to the release, MOM would like to remind members of the public not to accept CPF contributions from businesses they are not working for.

This is because they may be guilty of aiding in false declaration offences by errant employers.

Members of the public who are aware of such activities, or who know of persons or employers who may have contravened the EFMA, may report them to MOM online.

A fire broke out at a grass field near the junction of Bukit Panjang Ring Road and Fajar Road on Sep. 3, sending smoke billowing into the air.

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the fire at about 4:30pm that day.

The SCDF extinguished it using a water jet, and there were no reported injuries.

The open field spanned about 30 by 20 metres.

A video of the aftermath was posted on the Complaint Singapore Facebook group, showing both SCDF and police personnel at the scene.

Next to the smoke appears to be a burning cage commonly used to burn joss ceremonial offerings safely during the Hungry Ghost Festival, which runs from Aug. 13 to Sep. 10.

According to The Straits Times, burnt joss paper was found inside the cage, still glowing with embers.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

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A man in Taiwan who won a civil lawsuit against his wife for having an affair was jailed for the way he gathered the evidence.

He had used a robot vacuum cleaner to record his wife with her affair partner, reported South China Morning Post (SCMP).

While he was awarded NT$500,000 (S$19,991) for the violation of his marital rights, he was convicted and jailed for unlawfully recording private images.

Wife's affair

Local media reported that the couple got married in 2021 and lived with the man's parents, only visiting their holiday home during holidays, reported SCMP.

In September 2023, the man became suspicious when he discovered a used toothbrush at the holiday home.

He reviewed surveillance footage from a parking garage and recognised a man who had previously driven his wife home.

Three months later, the man saw a live feed from the home’s robot vacuum cleaner via its mobile application, capturing his wife in an intimate encounter with another man.

He began recording the footage to gather evidence for a legal claim.

The footage included scenes of the wife embracing the other man, as well as being unclothed around the house as he lay on the sofa.

Won civil suit, but jailed

The husband eventually used the footage as evidence to sue his wife and her lover for infringing on his marital rights.

The court found his wife's relationship with the other man "surpassed the limits of ordinary friendship" and ordered the pair to compensate the man a sum of NT$500,000 (S$19,991).

However, the wife counter-sued on the count of recording private footage without her consent.

Although the man contended that his actions were “legally justified”, he was found by the court to have unlawfully recorded private images.

They found that marital obligations do not supersede an individual’s right to privacy, SCMP reported.

The man was ultimately sentenced to five months in prison and fined NT$150,000 (S$6003) for unlawfully recording private images.

Running an airline is never an easy business as it is heavily regulated and not purely market-driven, chairman of Temasek Trust Ho Ching wrote on social media on Sep. 2.

She took to her Facebook account to comment on Singapore Airlines (SIA) and Air India ties in the wake of reports that Air India registered a record loss of more than US$2 billion (S$2.5 billion), which weighed down on SIA's profits.

Singapore's national carrier posted nearly S$1 billion in losses less than two years after it acquired a 25.1 per cent stake in Air India.

Temasek, the majority shareholder of SIA, has in turn stated on Aug. 29 its support for the long-term strategy of Singapore's national carrier, particularly where its Air India investment is concerned.

Airlines, like banks, need to compete with foreign entities

Ho, weighing in on the matter, wrote that businesses must be able to compete without expecting government intervention to give it a boost.

She gave the example of how Singapore banks must compete domestically and overseas, sometimes even at the encouragement of the Singapore government opening up the playing field to foreign entities and inadvertently exposing local businesses to market forces.

She added:

But unlike most other national airlines, SIA is clear minded and clear headed.

There are no handouts from Singov - and SIA must established its own position and strengths to weather the challenges of the airline industry.

No free lunch

This is in stark contrast to other governments that would "put obstacles in the path of foreign airlines while protecting its own, sometimes with endless subsidies", Ho also wrote.

The Singapore government's approach to SIA would then appear counterintuitive, but it is to promote competitiveness.

She acknowledged that the government has sometimes even “gone out of its way” to encourage foreign airlines to establish hubs in Singapore.

Singapore, she noted, is one of the few countries where the national carrier does not account for 70 to 80 per cent of the domestic market.

She wrote that local airlines, like banks, must "constantly innovate and offer better products and services" to maintain or grow their market share in Singapore.

It must do so in the face of the competition offered by international operators.

"No free lunch," she concluded.

Privatise or nationalise Air India?

In her post, Ho also outlined Air India's history and its origins as Tata Air Services in 1932, saying it had established itself as a "premium service airline" long before SIA came into existence.

Her recounting of Air India's history provided a casual observation of the India government's intervention in its aviation industry and its own commercial airline business, as it vacillated between privatising and nationalising the carrier.

This was to highlight how far SIA has come to catch up and surpass Air India over the years by competing globally on its merits as a commercial entity.

Air India subsequently held SIA up as the standard to meet, Ho noted.

Becoming Air India

Air India lost its focus when too many stakeholders tried to navigate its path.

Tracing its roots, Ho noted Tata Air had transitioned into Air India and became a public limited company in 1948, and the India government subsequently became a majority stakeholder in the airline, which occurred in 1953, "to give it more financial heft to develop its international network".

Air India was eventually forced to merge with other India-registered airlines due to the country's laws at the time.

Ho said "constant disagreements" between then-chairman JRD Tata, an Indian industrialist and aviation pioneer, and his government shareholders soon led to his departure as chairman of his "beloved" Air India.

"And Air India service standards and financial stability went downhill since," she wrote.

Teacher emulating student

Attempts by JRD's successor, Ratan Tata, to recover the airline to its former glory failed, Ho noted.

There was a tinge of irony in this.

She explained that when SIA had split from Malaysia-Singapore Airlines (previously known as Malaya-Singapore Airlines), Air India was the "gold standard" that it would try to emulate and surpass.

Ratan, who was "eager and ambitious" for the Tata group to recover Air India, most wanted SIA as his partner, she said, describing SIA as "the student who had turned in an excellent set of results and surpassed its former role model".

Using another airline as a benchmark is not unheard of.

Many airlines "in the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and China would later try to emulate and surpass SIA during their formative or reform years", Ho observed.

Questions raised

Questions have been raised about the purpose and the viability of SIA’s continued investment in Air India, notably by Workers Party Member of Parliament (MP) Kenneth Tiong, who wrote a social media post on the subject on Aug. 26.

In it, he said that he would be asking a question in parliament on the subject, and that he would oppose any use of Temasek’s funds to “prop up” Air India, and that if SIA wanted to continue with Air India, it should do so “on its own two feet”.

Long-term strategy

In its statement on Aug. 29, Temasek said it views SIA's business decision on Air India from a long-term perspective and is supportive of it.

"We recognise that the large-scale transformation of Air India involves complex, multi-year operational and integration challenges," joint head of portfolio development Juliet Teo wrote.

She added that efforts of this scale take time and are not expected to be linear, particularly in the aviation sector, where outcomes are shaped by industry developments.