Planning a weekend getaway to Kuala Lumpur soon and looking for something fun?

From now till Nov. 7, Sunway Lagoon at Sunway City Kuala Lumpur is hosting its annual spooky event titled Nights Of Fright 12 (NOF12): APE-OCALYPSE.

The event will run every Friday, Saturday and Sunday during this period from 7:30pm to 11:30pm with themed attractions, interactive experiences, live entertainment and more.

Apart from the main event, there will also be eight haunted houses inspired by Japanese horror, K-pop and local hantus.

Here are some highlights.

A two-in-one combo of Mad Max and Planet of the Apes

This year’s titular event draws its inspiration from Planet of the Apes and Mad Max, so yes, you can definitely expect to be shocked by some chainsaw-wielding apes in a post-apocalyptic world when you make your way through this haunted house, all burning with a deep hatred for humans and hunting us down solely for their brutal entertainment.

But that’s not all, however.

Another terrifying sight you can catch is:

Yokai Road

Inspired by Japanese folklore, expect to encounter plenty of demons from Japanese myths and legends to send shivers down your spine in an alley within the quiet town of Fukusaki, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.

Right at the end lies the home of Kunio Yanagita—the custodian of Japanese folklore—where visitors can expect to see the yokai myths of old come alive in a terrifying fashion.

There’s also:

The Freezer: Fresh Meat

Find out what it’s like to become part of an abattoir in this haunted house, with the machines, the hanging carcasses and the industrial sounds assailing you at every turn.

Will you escape becoming the abattoir's next victim?

The Romeos and Juliet

Come soak in a K-pop fantasy with a horror twist: one fan’s deadly obsession with a K-pop boyband.

Juliet has always been the ultimate superfan of the Romeos but another jealous fan, Sophia, will stop at nothing to replace her as the band’s number one fan.

This haunted house will take you into the Romeos Fan Club Headquarters, which has now been transformed into a chilling crime scene.

Return to Silent Hill

Whether you are a fan of the cult horror video game series Silent Hill or have always heard it referenced each time the weather turns foggy or hazy, you will be in for a treat.

Return to Silent Hill brings dread at every turn, with every building concealing terror.

What will you find?

Scarytales Immersive Theatre – Pontianak vs Pocong: Origins

No horror experience in Malaysia is complete without a taste of local flair and here’s where you can get your dose with Scarytales Immersive Theatre – Pontianak vs Pocong: Origins.

Witness the origins of two of Southeast Asia’s most legendary spirits come to life and be prepared to be immersed in a world of ancient curses, dark folklore and supernatural vengeance as these two hantus clash.

Beyond the haunted houses

It’s not just the haunted houses you can look forward to, however.

Beyond these, there are also plenty of thrilling shows for you to enjoy, including fire-breathing performances.

There will also be a Little Shop of Horrors booth where you can take a photo, share it on social

media and redeem a complimentary pack of Venus flytrap seeds, subject to terms and conditions.

You can also redeem a complimentary mini Daruma if you spend a minimum of RM100 at selected Nights Of Frights F&B or retail outlets, at Wishes Upon a Daruma.

If you are looking for some more challenges, there’s the Mystery Box challenge where you can take a guess at which Nights Of Fright haunted house each mystery box represents and redeem a complimentary Mini Sunway Theme Parks Kedai Runcit popcorn.

You can also go for a complimentary tarot card reading at The Oracle Table, limited to one reading per guest. Collectors also can take part in the Nights of Fright trading card experience. The first 50 guests to complete their collection will be eligible to redeem a mystery gift.

Terms and conditions apply.

Here are the ticket prices:

• RM138 – One admission ticket + One free Sunway Theme Parks Kedai Runcit Potato Crisps
• RM236 – One admission ticket + Express pass + One free Sunway Theme Parks Kedai Runcit Potato Crisps

They can be purchased via the Sunway Super App, KLOOK, and the official Sunway Lagoon website.

So why not spice up your KL weekend with some terror?

This sponsored article made the author consider planning a weekend trip to KL for Halloween.

The lights have gone off for the final time at former Singapore goalkeeper Hassan Sunny's Nasi Padang stall in Tampines after six years of physical presence.

But we have not seen the last of Dapur Hassan Muslim Food, which first opened for business in October 2020.

The eatery will shift to Grab delivery after a short break, the 42-year-old announced on Instagram.

Amazing journey

Hassan announced the closure of the eatery at its current location, Block 144 Tampines Street 12, in a Sep. 30 Instagram video.

It was previously located at Block 872C Tampines Street 86.

"It's been an amazing journey here, and I'm really grateful to everyone who has come down and supported us," Hassan said.

Oct. 4 will be the stall's last day, Hassan told his followers.

However, Dapur Hassan, which translates to "Hassan's Kitchen", will live on via Grab delivery after a short break.

On the last day of operations, Hassan bade goodbye to the eatery in an Instagram post.

"This place has given us so many memories, from the meals we prepared to the conversations and support received from all of you," the goalie commented.

"Thank you to everyone who visited, ordered from us, shared our food with others and stood by Dapur Hassan throughout this journey. We truly appreciate every bit of support," he continued.

The closure announcement was met with gratitude and sadness from Hassan's followers.

Hassan did not share the reason for the physical stall's closure.

Visited by President Tharman

Dapur Hassan is a family affair with Hassan's mother-in-law as the chef, it was previously reported.

The eatery made headlines in 2024 after Chinese football fans circulated the stall's payment QR code and started transferring cash.

They had credited Hassan's showing during the Singapore versus Thailand match at the 2026 World Cup qualifiers for China's advancement to the next round of the tournament.

Hassan donated the money he received.

Dapur Hassan was also visited by President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and wife Jane Ittogi in 2024.

Hassan retired from international football in August 2024, but continues to guard the goal for FC Jurong, formerly known as Albirex Niigata FC.

A man who attempted to return empty drink cans to a BCRS machine had his cans rejected as price tags had been pasted on top of the BCRS barcodes the machine typically scans.

Taking to Reddit to complain about the issue, user u/Yadobler warned against buying drinks from Ang Mo Supermarket as the receptacles could not be processed by the machine.

He claimed that Ang Mo Supermarket pasted "internal" barcodes and price tags on top of the existing barcodes for chilled drink cans.

This was ostensibly to enable them to charge a markup for chilled drinks and to prevent the point-of-sale system from double-scanning the cans, he said.

However, he stated that the paper tags would get wet from the condensation on the cans, making it impossible for them to be peeled off cleanly.

Even after removing the tags, he claimed the paper and glue residue obscured the barcodes and prevented the cans from being accepted by the machine.

Miffed

The man also claimed that when he brought the issue up to Ang Mo Supermarket staff, he was apparently told, "Aiya just peel it off, it's because you bought cold drinks."

In total, he brought 27 drinks purchased from Ang Mo Supermarket to a BCRS machine, all of which were rejected.

He stated that he was not going to bother scrubbing off the tags for such a substantial number of cans to receive less than S$3.

He added that he was returning the cans on behalf of his father with Alzheimer's, to prevent ants and cockroaches from being drawn to the empty cans, and that he would simply throw them in the trash in the future.

He concluded his post by asking if anyone else has encountered similar issues of "supermarkets defacing BCRS barcodes for chilled inventory, and is this [was] even compliant under NEA's retailer guidelines".

Investigations

According to a Shin Min Daily News (Shin Min) reported who went down, the Ang Mo Supermarket branch in Tampines did not have price tags pasted over their can barcodes.

A manager at that branch told Shin Min that he believed cans with price tags pasted on them were old stock, claiming that they have not pasted price tags on cans since the BCRS was fully implemented on Oct. 1.

Another branch in Toa Payoh visited by Shin Min also did not have tags pasted on their cans.

Instead, cans from old stocks that were manufactured before the introduction of BCRS machines had refund barcodes pasted on them to allow for their return.

In response to queries from Mothership, the National Environment Agency (NEA) and BCRS Ltd. stated jointly that they were aware of members of the public facing difficulties getting BCRS refunds from canned drinks purchased from Ang Mo Supermarket, owing to price stickers placed over the product barcodes.

They have advised Ang Mo Supermarket to remove the stickers on affected cans and ensure that labels do not obstruct product barcodes in the future, in order to enable BCRS machines to identify and accept the containers.

Singapore is shifting into race mode once again, with Formula One’s race weekend from Oct. 9 to 11 just around the corner.

But all the F1 action isn’t confined to the Marina Bay street circuit.

With Grand Prix Season Singapore (GPSS), various establishments around Singapore are rolling out limited race-inspired dining, retail and interactive experiences from Oct. 2 to Oct. 11.

Here are some highlights:

Ray-Ban: Beyond The Track

From now until Oct. 14, Ray-Ban, in collaboration with CQ @ Clarke Quay, will host a pop-up where visitors can get a glimpse of Scuderia Ferrari's 2023 F1 car.

Visitors can also unleash their inner F1 racer by trying the race simulators, doing the reflex test or the pit stop challenge.

Those who set a record time can get exclusive Scuderia Ferrari HP merchandise, while stocks last.

The grandmother of the 16-year-old girl found dead in her school in Yong Peng, Johor, Malaysia, recounted the final moments before her granddaughter passed away.

"I held her, called out 'Fiya', and recited Islamic prayers for her. She was covered in blood," Jameyah said, according to The Star.

She added: "She looked at my face one last time before her body went limp and she stopped moving."

On Oct. 3, Irene Sofiya Mohd Khairool Faisal, 16, or more affectionately known by her family as Fiya, was found covered in blood in her school hall, reported The Star.

Victim's friends could not find her after classes

At about 5:30pm that day, two of Irene’s friends had gone to her house to look for her after extra classes.

Her friends reportedly became concerned as her motorcycle was still at school, but she could not be located.

She was later found covered in blood in the school hall before she was pronounced dead at the scene.

She had several injuries on her head and body.

Grandmother's account

Irene’s grandmother, Jameyah Rabani, 66, asked her eldest daughter, Siti Nur Faeza, 45, to go with her to look for Irene.

Together with Irene’s friends, they searched the school grounds.

Her body was discovered by one of her friends, who shouted for Jameyah to come quickly as there was a lot of blood, the grandmother told Sinar Harian.

When she arrived, her granddaughter was still alive and responded to her name, but she was weak and covered in blood.

“She managed to look at my face while I held her before she passed away forever,” Jameyah said.

Jameyah had taken Irene in and brought her up since she was nine, after her mother died of liver cancer.

Speaking on her granddaughter’s death, Jameyah said she has accepted her passing but was saddened to think that she was treated so cruelly on school grounds when she was lovingly cared for.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong reunited with an 89-year-old former staff from his primary school during a walkabout in Marine Parade on Saturday, Oct. 3.

A video posted on his social media on Sunday showed the prime minister bumping into Mary, a retired school clerk from Haig Boys' School.

PM Wong attended the primary school, where his mother also taught at.

The elderly woman spotted Singapore's 53-year-old leader and called out: "Lawrence boy!"

PM Wong proceeded to shake hands with her at Marine Terrace Market and Hawker Centre during his meet-and-greet with vendors and residents, alongside Senior Minister of State Goh Pei Ming.

PM Wong and the woman sat down and he asked for her name.

"Mary," she replied.

"Haig Boys. I was a school clerk," she added.

PM Wong said he remembered her from his time there as a student.

"You were the clerk for the principal, Mr Soh, throughout, right? For a long time," he said.

The principal at Haig Boys' Primary School from 1964 to 1979 was David Soh Biow Chee.

PM Wong and Mary then posed for a photo.

Send her regards to PM Wong's mother

"Send my regards to your mother," Mary said.

"Of course," PM Wong responded. "I'm sure she will remember you."

Mary then asked if he was certain.

PM Wong said: "I do remember you, so how can she not?"

Mary then approached PM Wong when he was leaving the hawker centre and said: "I want to tell you. I am very happy for you, okay? See you from young until now."

PM Wong noted that Mary was as energetic and cheerful as before and called the reunion a "lovely encounter".

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A post shared by Lawrence Wong (@lawrencewongst)

Volunteers will be identifying, contacting, and befriending seniors in Singapore who appear isolated or in need of social support under a new one-year initiative by the People’s Action Party Seniors Group (PAPSG).

The initiative will start with nine branches chaired by PAPSG members and will operate in areas, such as Bedok, Kaki Bukit, and Toa Payoh Central for a start.

This new initiative was unveiled as the group's biggest concern is social isolation given that Singapore's population is ageing, PAPSG chairman Tan See Leng said on Oct. 4 at an event at Furama Riverfront to mark the International Day of Older Persons.

The pilot will build on Meet-the-People Sessions and existing house visits to identify seniors the.

PAPSG was formed in 2013.

Singapore a super-aged society

According to data released on Sep. 25, Singapore is a super-aged society.

Some 21.4 per cent of its citizen population was aged 65 and older as at June 2026.

Tan, who is also Minister for Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry), told some 300 party volunteers, MPs and branch chairs: "Now, one of our biggest worries today is some seniors are slipping through the cracks and living in total isolation."

One way the initiative could help is by connecting seniors to resources, such as nearby Active Ageing Centres or social services.

These seniors could be the first to seek volunteers for help for a range of matters, such as financial, employment or healthcare assistance, and they will be engaged in conversations to find out if they are socially isolated or have other needs.

PAPSG also launched a customisable resource template with national helplines, Meet-the-People Session details, and nearby community services information.

Branches can tweak the information for their constituencies, and customise them on printed sheets, fridge magnets, or in soft copy.

Dialogue with community led to initiative

The befriending initiative came about following several rounds of feedback.

PAPSG had organised four community conversations and a dialogue session between February and August 2026, which identified as one of their priorities the strengthening of support for older adults living alone.

The other areas of concern were making care more affordable and accessible, as well as expanding opportunities for seniors in employment, entrepreneurship, and lifelong learning.

An OnlyFans model from Cebu in The Philippines has raised enough money to buy land and build a learning centre in her home province, with plans to open a larger school in the future.

The creator, known as Maeurn Smiles, used the money she earned from her online work to buy a parcel of land in Naga, Cebu for 1.75 million pesos (S$35,750) in 2024.

According to Daily Tribune Business, a Philippines media outlet, she at first intended to donate the land to the government so they could build the school.

However, she changed her mind when she learned she would not be able to name the school after her late father.

Instead, Maeurn decided to oversee the construction herself to properly pay tribute to her father.

While the main school building has not yet been constructed, a smaller learning centre opened in 2025, offering local children lessons in science, cooking and other activities.

The main school will be able to serve around 300 children once built.

Speaking to American media outlet TMZ in August 2026, Maeurn said she always had an interest in teaching since she was young, but her family did not have the money to send her to college.

Instead, she worked as an English-language teacher for Chinese students before starting her OnlyFans page, where she earned enough money to fulfil her dream.

A 35-year-old teacher was sentenced to nine years in jail on Oct. 5 for performing several sexual acts on her then-15-year-old female student.

This took place in locations such as the school staff toilet, karaoke room and a public bus.

She pleaded guilty to one charge of sexual penetration of a minor and two charges of sexually exploiting a young person under the age of 16.

Another five charges of sexually exploiting a young person, one charge of sexual grooming and another for sexual communication with a minor were taken into consideration during sentencing.

Both teacher and student cannot be named due to a gag order to protect the identity of the victim.

The prosecution said the accused had been the victim's source of support and advice as she struggled with a difficult home situation, according to court documents seen by Mothership.

"The relationship and the acts that occurred within it was exploitative by virtue of the accused's position in the victim's school and the influence that she had as a 'safe adult' in the victim's life," the prosecutor said.

Family problems

The victim was a Secondary 3 female student, and the woman began teaching her in 2023.

The victim has a history of family problems and struggled with various mental health conditions.

Child Protection Services (CPS) had intervened in her family situation sometime before the offences due to concerns of her parents' use of harsh physical punishment on her.

Her teachers at the time of the offences, including the accused, were aware of her difficulties at home, prosecutors said.

Situationship

In April 2023, the student approached the teacher to seek support and advice on family matters.

The victim texted the accused frequently to tell the latter about her day and to share more about her struggles.

From Oct. 13 to Nov. 21, 2023, the pair started what the victim described as a "situationship" and engaged in a series of sexual encounters.

The first encounter happened in a karaoke room on Oct. 13, 2023.

They eventually both agreed to stop.

But on Oct. 16, the teacher took the student to a female staff toilet after her exam and committed another sexual act.

This continued at other locations such as the upper deck of a double-decker bus and in a private room for movies.

Student reported her

The teacher and student eventually fell out.

On Jan. 16, 2024, the student informed her Child Protection Services-appointed safety adult that she had been sexually assaulted on three occasions.

The school's vice principal later took the student to lodge a police report the next day.

The victim subsequently suffered from adjustment disorder and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.

According to an Institute of Mental Health report on Jan. 22, 2025, the victim had then described breaking down in school sometimes as the environment reminded her of the events that happened.

Following the offences, she also suffered from insomnia, had suicidal thoughts, nightmares, flashbacks and recurring thoughts about the offences.

Her academic performance eventually deteriorated.

Lapse in judgment

The defence reportedly said that the teacher was remorseful, pointing to her cooperation with investigations and her guilty plea, according to CNA.

"Her actions were due to a lapse in judgment. This is a scar that will remain with her for the rest of her life," defence lawyer Kalaithasan Karuppaya of Regent Law LLC said.

She has since sought professional help from a psychiatrist. Her husband also gave a testimonial about her as a wife and mother to a four-year-old.

The judge reportedly said that the woman had made "serious errors of judgement" and that her actions crossed professional boundaries.

While he acknowledged the harm caused to the victim, he added that he hoped the woman could apply her "redeeming qualities" for the benefit of her family and the wider community.

While on a day tour to Xizhou Old Town in Yunnan, China, with her husband and four friends, a 73-year-old Singapore woman came across a street stall purportedly selling traditional medicinal herbs.

Although the 73-year-old only wanted some, the seller allegedly pressured her into paying for almost S$2,000 worth of the herb by telling her that they had already ground the herb into powder and refused to let her back out of the transaction.

When she returned with police to look for the sellers, they were nowhere to be found.

Hired cheap car charter service for day tour

According to Shin Min Daily News, the 73-year-old woman, surnamed Lee (transliteration), had travelled to Yunnan, China, on Aug. 30 this year for a 26-day holiday.

On the fifth day of the trip, Lee and her party, which included her husband and four friends, wanted to visit an attraction named Xizhou Old Town.

While they were looking for a transportation service to take them there, a woman appeared and offered them her husband's car charter service.

The woman offered a considerably low price, and the party agreed to their services after some negotiation.

TCM vendor at lunch spot

At a lunch spot, Lee passed by a stall selling traditional Chinese medicine while on the way to the washroom.

"I wasn't planning on buying any traditional medicinal products at the time. However, a lavishly dressed mother-daughter duo suddenly appeared," Lee recounted to Shin Min.

"They claimed that they had been coughing year-round, but got better after consuming 'Zangbei powder'. They repeatedly listed the powder's medicinal properties," Lee continued.

After haggling with the seller, the mother-daughter duo managed to reduce the price from 12 yuan per gram to eight.

Pressured

Suddenly, the pair pointed at Lee and said one bag per person, Shin Min reported.

The seller proceeded to weigh a bag of the powder and asked Lee for payment of about 10,000 yuan (around S$1,900).

Lee hurriedly told the seller she did not need so much of the herb, but the seller did not let her back out of the transaction, arguing that the herb had already been ground into powder.

The 73-year-old told Shin Min that she also confused the exchange rate, thought she would be paying around S$200, and went ahead with the payment.

She only realised she paid almost S$2,000 for the herb after returning to the car and speaking to her husband.

Her bank records showed that she paid S$1,901.45.

Sellers nowhere to be found

When she returned to Yunnan's Dali City on Sep. 14, she then proceeded to make a police report the next day.

She later returned to the lunch spot with local police in a bid to find the sellers, but they were nowhere to be found.

Lee reminded travellers to be vigilant and avoid purchasing from street vendors, Shin Min wrote.

The 73-year-old has also made a police report upon her return to Singapore.

She said she did not dare to consume the herbs and will be sending the powder to the Singapore Food Agency for testing.