A 53-year-old man has collected more than S$1,000 in refunds under Singapore’s Beverage Container Return Scheme (BCRS) after spending nearly two months gathering discarded drink cans and bottles.

Under the BCRS, which was launched in April 2026, consumers pay an additional 10 cents for each drink in a container bearing the scheme’s logo.

The deposit is refunded when the empty bottle or can is returned to a designated Return Right machine.

Cycles to collect empty cans and bottles

In an interview with 8world, the man, who works near Amoy Street Food Centre, said he would cycle around the area after work to collect empty cans and beverage bottles left behind by others.

He said he often searches around Geylang and Tanjong Pagar, where there tend to be more people drinking at night.

Some people leave their empty cans beside rubbish bins after finishing their drinks, he said.

On the day he was interviewed, he estimated that he had collected about 100 bottles and cans.

He said he typically earns between S$10 and S$20 in refunds a day, with the money credited to his EZ-Link card.

The man said that even on weekends, he sometimes goes out to collect bottles and cans as many as three times a day.

After nearly two months of collecting, the refunds credited to his EZ-Link card have exceeded S$1,000.

Other people 8world interviewed gave various reasons and outcomes for collecting the cans and depositing them, including helping older folks who might not have the necessary app needed.

A 43-year-old Singaporean man working at a welfare home has been fined S$8,000 for ill-treating a 10-year-old boy.

The man, who cannot be named due to a gag order protecting the victim, pleaded guilty to a charge of ill-treating a child under his care, reported CNA.

On the day of the incident, he had scolded the victim for his behaviour after he was caught climbing a parapet.

According to charge sheets seen by Mothership, the man had used his elbow to hit the victim’s face, used his leg to kick the victim’s leg out from under him, and also pushed down against the victim’s chest.

This had caused the victim to fall backwards onto the floor on his back and buttocks.

Victim scolded for climbing parapet

As a welfare officer at the home since 2018, the man was tasked with supervising the residents.

He was also a practitioner of silat, a form of martial arts, according to CNA.

The victim, who had resided at the home for about half a year, was spotted by a woman climbing a parapet on the second floor on Aug. 11, 2025.

She complained to the man about the act, and he later scolded the victim at the prayer hall on the first floor.

About 16 other residents were reportedly in the hall waiting for prayers to begin.

Elbowed and hit victim

The man believed that the boy was smirking at him and smiling, according to CNA.

He then used Hokkien vulgarities on the boy and told him that he could spit saliva at him.

He added that the "camera" was not working, implying that he could hit the boy without being caught, CNA reported.

The man then elbowed, kicked, and struck the victim on his face and chest.

When other residents heard and turned to look, the man instructed the boy to join the rest for prayer.

The incident was caught on closed-circuit television cameras.

Fined

The victim sought medical treatment for tenderness and was discharged the same day.

The doctor subsequently filed a police report.

The prosecution reportedly sought a “high fine” of S$6,000 to S$8,000, noting that the victim was a vulnerable young person entrusted to the officer’s care.

The defence sought a lower fine, arguing that the man had been “a good officer” at the home for many years and that this was a one-off incident, CNA reported.

According to the defence, the man remains employed at the home but is no longer in direct contact with residents.

The judge noted that the aggravating factors in the case were clear, including the man’s abuse of his position of authority, betrayal of his role and premeditation, according to CNA.

However, he acknowledged that the home continued to value the man’s services and that there was no evidence of a history of abuse.

The judge stressed that the fine imposed was the maximum possible and warned that the man would likely face a jail term if he reoffended.

For ill-treating a child under his care, he could have been jailed for up to eight years, fined up to S$8,000, or both.

Local entries for the full 42.195km event of the BYD Singapore International Marathon 2026 presented by adidas are sold out.

This is three months before the race weekend from Dec. 4 to 6.

The full marathon event has a field of 12,000 runners: 9,000 Singapore-based runners and 3,000 slots reserved for international runners.

Registration for the half marathon has slightly under 30 per cent of its 18,000 places available ahead of the Sep. 30 entry deadline.

First-timers

First-timers are making their presence felt in this race.

Close to 40 per cent of the marathon and half marathon participants are taking on their respective distances for the first time.

More than 60 per cent of participants are Singaporeans.

Runners from 95 countries have registered.

Among those first-timers is Ethan Sam, 18.

His mother, Joy Tam, said: “When my 18-year-old son told me he had signed up for his first marathon, I was proud that he had taken up the personal challenge, but I won’t deny that I had some worrying thoughts. While he is athletic, I don’t know if his body could handle running 42km at a stretch.”

Tan also shared that she sent him “all the race information” to “read carefully and be well prepared”.

Daryl Yeo, deputy chief executive officer of development at Sport Singapore, said no more vacancies for local entries “three months before race day shows the popularity of running within the local community”.

“Sport Singapore has worked closely with SGIM (Singapore International Marathon) to improve runner experience and safety from course design to runner preparation," he added.

Others will also return to the full marathon this year.

Kelvin Chua, 48, will run his fourth Singapore marathon in December.

“I don’t race to win; I race so my children can see what it means to keep going. After Covid, I started running and cycling simply to get out of the house and get moving again. I lost 15kg, and what began as a way to rebuild myself became a passion for endurance racing,” Chua said.

He also added that the marathon in December was a way of “closing the year with one final challenge”.

Route

The routes for all categories have been revealed 16-weeks ahead of the race weekend.

The West Coast Highway climb, which fell at the 32km mark in 2024, has been moved to around the 8km mark, placing it in the cooler, darker early hours of the morning.

This removes the possibility of runners having to enter the closing stretch of the race in the late morning heat.

The course is also mostly mono-directional, with the only exception being a 300-metre stretch across Marina Barrage, easing congestion caused by runners making a return on the same part of the course.

At East Coast Park, organisers have secured permission, for the first time, to incorporate both the cycling path and service road into the route.

Runners will enter East Coast Park via the cycling path and return via the service road.

Meanwhile, the Benjamin Sheares Bridge returns for both the full and half marathon.

“We want Benjamin Sheares Bridge to become that badge of honour for runners here,” Leon Lai, chief executive officer of SG International Marathon Pte Ltd said, regarding the decision to incorporate the section of the route.

Recognising the challenge, runners will be greeted with a “Welcome to Sheares” gantry and can refuel at a specially prepared food zone before they begin their climb.

Extending beyond standard race fare of isotonic drinks and race gels, runners can expect local snacks served in easy-to-consume portions.

Carbonated soft drinks will also be provided.

Volunteer cheer crews will also be positioned along the approach to motivate runners.

The half marathon follows much of the same route, but avoids the Marina Barrage crossing, making it mono-directional from start to finish.

Training guide

An official training guide, developed alongside Singapore’s national marathon record holder Soh Rui Yong, is available to the public.

The guide, “A Guide to Going the Distance in Singapore”, covers pacing, heat adaptation, race nutrition, recovery and injury prevention, alongside week-by-week training plans for all four distances, from 5km to the full marathon.

To date, it has recorded more than 2,000 downloads.

Registration information, the full 2026 route and the official training guide are available at https://singaporeinternationalmarathon.com/.

Event schedule

The full marathon event will flag off at 4:30am on Dec. 6.

The half-marathon event will flag off at 4:30am on Dec. 5.

The 5km and 10km events will flag off at 9:30pm and 8:30pm respectively on Dec. 4.

The events will begin at the starting line at the F1 Pit Building and conclude at the finishing line at the National Stadium.

The 1.6km and 600m events for children will flag off on the morning of Dec. 4.

Both events will start and end at the Great Eastern Promenade.

A 62-year-old man was pronounced dead at the foot of a Toa Payoh block on the afternoon of Aug. 31.

Responding to Mothership's queries, the police said they were alerted to the case of a fall from height at about 2:05pm today.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) received a call for assistance to the same case at about 2:10pm.

Pronounced dead

The man was found motionless at the foot of Block 205 Toa Payoh North and an SCDF paramedic pronounced him dead.

A member of the public who wished to remain anonymous told Stomp that the man reportedly fell from the eighth floor.

"I'd wanted to see if I could help but he was clearly dead."

The individual also shared photos of the man lying face down in a large pool of blood.

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

Helplines

If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

National mindline.sg Hotline: 1771 (24 hours)

National mindline.sg WhatsApp: 66691771 (24 hours)

SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

Full disclosure: I have been using Grab for years, mostly for rides and food deliveries, and I had no idea I could redeem my GrabCoins for discounts off those very same orders.

I always assumed they were just some kind of loyalty points that built up in the background.

Turns out I have been missing out.

If you use Grab regularly, chances are you have been quietly racking up GrabCoins with every ride, delivery, or order, without giving much thought to what they can actually get you.

That balance sitting in your app could be worth more than you think.

What are GrabCoins?

GrabCoins are earned when you use Grab's services, and they can be redeemed for a range of rewards through the GrabCoins catalogue in the app.

The rewards available depend on your current GrabCoins balance, so remember to check your balance from time to time and redeem what you can before your GrabCoins expire, rather than letting them sit unused.

As a reminder: Grab coins expire in six months from the month you earn them.

What you can redeem, from small to big balances

Whether you have a small stash of GrabCoins or a large one, there’s likely something in the catalogue for you.

For users with a smaller balance, there are options like S$1 off a GrabFood order, GrabMart order, Transport ride, or GrabExpress delivery, each going for 500 coins.

If you have built up a slightly bigger balance, options in the catalogue include S$20 off a GrabFood or GrabMart order, or S$20 off a Transport ride, each for 10,000 coins. Frequent flyers might prefer converting their coins, with 1,000 KrisFlyer miles going for 13,000 coins.

For users who have accumulated an even larger balance, there are bigger-ticket rewards too, such as S$50 off a GrabFood, GrabMart, or Dine Out voucher for 25,000 coins, or 2,000 KrisFlyer miles for 26,000 coins.

The catalogue also features rewards beyond food and transport vouchers, including Dine Out vouchers and gift cards, so it’s worth browsing through the full list instead of assuming there is nothing worth redeeming.

Make sure you claim your vouchers before they're gone, while stocks last.

How to redeem your GrabCoins

Redeeming your GrabCoins takes just a few steps in the Grab app:

1. Tap on the GrabCoins logo on the home page.

2. Browse the GrabCoins catalogue for available rewards.

3. Select and redeem your offer of choice.

More bang for your buck

Every 15th of the month, Grab runs a Flash Sale period during which users can redeem selected vouchers in the GrabCoins catalogue for fewer coins than usual.

So the next time you open the Grab app, it might be worth a quick check of your GrabCoins balance. Every bit is spendable, whether you have a few coins or a lot.

Who knows what you might be able to find?

This sponsored article by Grab reminded this writer to go use her GrabCoins before they expire.

Terms and conditions apply.

A family court has dismissed a woman's personal protection order (PPO) application against her husband after ruling that his text messages about fantasies of wanting to kill her did not constitute emotional or psychological abuse.

She was also ordered to pay him S$1,500 in costs.

Grounds of decision

In her grounds of decision issued on Aug. 19, Magistrate Yvette Tay noted that the woman sent the man intimate photos of herself despite claiming she felt fear after he messaged her regarding his thoughts of wanting to kill her.

Tay said that in order to obtain a PPO, the applicant must establish two requirements on a balance of probabilities.

The first is that the respondent has committed or is likely to commit family violence on the person sought to be protected.

Secondly, the protection order is necessary for the protection or personal safety of the person to be protected under the order.

The judgement also defined family violence to include physical, sexual, or emotional or psychological abuse.

Married, estranged

It stated that the couple, who got married on Dec. 6, 2023, had been estranged since October 2024 and had not been living together since Oct. 1, 2024.

They also had not interacted or communicated since January 2025.

Prior to this, the couple fought on Sep. 30, 2024, where the woman hit her husband.

According to the judgement, he was injured and on Oct. 1, 2024, left the home and blocked his wife.

The man then obtained a PPO against his wife on Nov. 1, 2024, with consent.

Tay highlighted in her judgement that she did not find that the man had committed family violence against his wife on any of the five incidents between May 2024 and January 2025.

The woman alleged in her PPO application that four incidents constituted emotional or psychological abuse, and one was alleged to constitute physical abuse.

Between May, June 2024 incident

In an incident that took place sometime between May 2024 and June 2024, the woman alleged that the couple had a heated argument where her husband had hit her with his hands.

According to the judgement, the woman said she was walking around in circles, asking the man why he was "lying to her over something so small", and shouting at him.

She testified that she got "really close" to him, shouted and got hysterical.

Though the man whacked her on her arms out of possible frustration to make her come to her senses and stop, she did not suffer injuries or bruises and did not need to go to the doctor.

Dec. 29, 2024 incident

On Dec. 29, 2024, the man said in a Telegram message to his wife that he was "still in a somewhat unstable state of mind" but reminisced about the past and recalled the good times they had.

He added that he often felt angry and offended, alleging that she had become a monster and treated his life with callousness.

"I can tell you honestly that in the weeks/months leading up to my escape, I fantasise all the time about killing you. I think of all the various methods I can use to kill you," the message read.

According to the judgement, the woman said this message caused fear in her.

Jan. 1, 2025 incident

The woman also messaged the man, asking him not to ghost her, had "stuff to discuss" with him, and wanted to hear his thoughts.

Subsequently on Jan. 1, 2025, the man responded by saying that he felt he was slowly getting better and calmer and less angry after distancing himself from her for almost three months.

He added: "But now that I've resumed more frequent interactions with you, the thoughts of wanting to kill you are all coming back very strongly again. I really don’t want to talk to you too much, you are not good for my mental health."

About 20 minutes later, the woman responded with a lengthy message which Tay broke down into a few main points.

Woman's response

Firstly, the woman still wanted to talk and stay connected with the man, requesting for couple's counselling.

"Let's work on our marriage bbb. Remember why and how we fell in love," she said.

Secondly, she still wanted to travel overseas with him and was optimistic about it.

Thirdly, she was still able to make demands of him, saying it was his duty as her husband to provide for her and asked if he was still visiting for Chinese New Year as her family was still expecting him.

She also sent him intimate photos of herself, the judgement stated, which suggested she was not fearful of him.

Tay observed from this exchange that the woman did not appear to display signs of emotional or mental torment or harm caused by the man.

She also pointed out that the context and tenor of the man's message was not a threat to the woman.

It was, instead, an over-honest and misguided statement by the man attempting to explain that he did not actually want to talk to the woman as it was negatively affecting his mental health and state.

Application dismissed

In considering whether the PPO was necessary for the protection or personal safety of the woman, the judgement stated that both parties no longer lived together or communicated.

The man also said during trial that he was unwilling to engage the woman any further.

Even if family violence was committed, a PPO would not have been necessary for the woman's protection or personal safety, Tay said.

The likelihood of the man committing family violence against the woman in future was, in these circumstances, low.

As such, her PPO application was dismissed, with Tay ordering her to pay the man S$1,500 though his counsel sought costs of S$5,000.

An actor's job is never easy.

Taking on a new role requires one to step into the shoes of the character, and for local actor Desmond Tan, his latest role demanded even more.

He had to transform his physical appearance to bring the character to life.

"Meet Malcom."

In an Instagram post on Aug. 30, the 40-year-old actor shared photos of himself with a noticeably bigger belly and love handles.

"Meet Malcolm," his caption wrote. "More soon. PACE 《脚踏实地》 in Singapore cinemas 8 Oct."

In the carousel, Tan also opened up about the physical transformation, writing:

"What gaining weight for a movie looks like. I stopped recognising the person in the mirror. And this was only one phase of the transformation."

Pace marks the directorial feature film debut of Jonathan Choo, and also stars his veteran actor father Zhu Houren and brother Joel Choo.

In the movie, Tan plays a middle-aged man who is trying to rebuild his life after overcoming a drug addiction.

As he reintegrates into society, he discovers a passion for marathon running.

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by DESMOND TAN 陈泂江 (@thedesmondtan)

Gained over 10kg

In an interview with 8world in November 2025, Tan revealed that he had gained more than 10kg to take on the appearance of an "ordinary middle-aged man".

"Over the past weeks, I adjusted my diet and exercise, taking photos for the director to track my progress. I'm not promoting extreme weight gain or loss. My goal is to reach the role's required physique safely," Tan said.

According to the actor, he used to have eight-pack abs, but after gaining weight, he did not dare to look at himself in the mirror in the morning.

"My skin is not in a good condition as well," he added.

In another interview with Lianhe Zaobao, he described the experience as being like "carrying a bag of rice around every day".

The additional weight left him with what he described as "three layers of fat", causing him to overheat easily, sweat profusely, and become breathless.

Tan said the experience was so much harder than he imagined.

"When I first got the script, I was only focused on the story. Gradually, I realised that the body transformation is the toughest part. I don't gain weight easily and still have some idol-image pressure, so it was overwhelming and stressful," he told 8world.

Tan added that he told his wife: "I'm not sexy anymore".

"My pants no longer fit, and even walking leaves me breathless," he said.

Visited Changi Prison

Besides the physical transformation, Tan also took steps to better understand Malcolm’s past, including visiting Changi Prison to experience the environment first-hand, 8world reported.

"My character has been imprisoned and went through rehabilitation, so I requested a visit. I spent only 10 minutes alone in a cell, but the oppressive loneliness was very real," he said.

Carrying his "third" child

His dedication to the role drew praise from several celebrity friends in the comments section of his Instagram post.

Singaporean content creator @bombiibii joked: "omg the rumours are true… your 3rd one is coming 🫃".

Tan, whose second child was born in September 2025, played along with it, replying: "Hahaha yes, im carrying the third one!"

A Chinese international student was found dead in South Korea, in the residence of a man, another Chinese national.

The man, Jeong, was the first person who had reported her missing, telling the authorities he was her boyfriend, The Korea Herald reported.

Jeong was a part-time lecturer at the university.

Following her death, the local police arrested the man on suspicion of murder.

According to Korean media, CCTV footage from around his residence showed the suspect before and after the killing.

The victim could be seen arriving at the man's house at around 2am, with a suitcase behind her.

They enter the building together.

The suspect then reappears on CCTV at around 10:30pm that day.

According to the footage, he is wearing a skirt, hat and mask.

The Korea Herald cited investigators saying this was apparently done to make it appear that the woman was still alive.

He later dismembered and disposed of her body in various places.

Jeong refused a psychopathy assessment planned by police.

Temasek, the majority shareholder of Singapore Airlines (SIA), has stated its support for the airline’s long-term strategy, particularly where its Air India investment is concerned.

The Singaporean investment company issued a statement to the Business Times (BT) detailing its support after it was revealed that Air India, which SIA holds a minority 25.1 per cent stake in, reported a loss of S$3.2 billion.

Fresh equity

As a result of this loss, the Air India Group is seeking nearly S$1.9 billion of fresh equity from SIA and Tata Sons, Air India's majority shareholder; of which SIA is expected to contribute about half a billion dollars, as reported by BT.

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

Money Pit

BT published an editorial on Aug. 27 asking whether SIA should cut its losses and walk away from its Air India investment.

The article compared Air India to a “money pit”, saying that SIA’s minority stake bought “influence but no control”, and that SIA’s shareholders were “entitled to ask” what benefits the investment had wrought, other than a seat on the airline’s board and a share of the extensive losses.

Temasek responded to the BT article, with its joint head of portfolio development and head of ecosystem development, Juliet Teo, issuing a statement saying Temasek supported SIA's long-term strategy.

The investment company said that SIA had “Demonstrated discipline and resilience through industry cycles and consistently positioned itself for long-term growth”, citing examples such as SIA's “Strong Recovery” After the COVID-19 pandemic.

The statement was written by Temasek's joint head of portfolio development and head of ecosystem development, Juliet Teo.

Second hub

Teo said that SIA had articulated its objective to invest in a second hub so as to secure long-term growth beyond Singapore.

India was the world's third-largest air transport market and was well-positioned to serve as such a second hub.

SIA, as a long-term participant in the Indian market, had been operating in it through its Vistara investment in 2013, and Temasek said SIA's investment in Air India allowed it to “deepen its participation in India's aviation growth.”

Temasek viewed SIA's business decision from a long-term perspective and is supportive of it.

The transformation of Air India would involve a complex multi-year operational and integration challenge, and that the effort would take time and was not expected to be linear.

Teo highlighted the various challenges, such as industry developments like aircraft innovation and fleet renewal cycles, as well as air space disruptions, geopolitical developments, and fuel price volatility.

Volatility and geopolitical developments

Reuters wrote about some of those challenges, including Indian airlines being barred from Pakistani airspace due to ongoing tensions, as well as airspace and energy price disruptions caused by the war in Iran, as well as a fatal air crash in 2025.

Reuters reported that Temasek did not address whether it would support any “capital contribution” from SIA to Air India.

It also said that SIA said its board would “carefully consider any request for additional capital from Air India.”

Two self-proclaimed financial experts have gone silent after about three years of persuading investors to put money into their business deals.

Lim Jian Bin, 36, and Jason Fong Wai Hong, 46, would drive Lamborghinis and wear expensive watches to meet potential investors, The Straits Times (ST) reported.

On social media and at wealth seminars, they promised guaranteed returns of up to 15 per cent each year.

In April and July 2026, Fong and Lim were declared bankrupt, according to ST.

Fong reportedly flew to Kuala Lumpur on Jun. 21, and has not left Malaysia since.

More than 50 people who invested about S$5 million in their schemes are now left wondering if they can recover their money.

Several of them have made police reports against the pair.

Who are they?

According to ST, Lim, who also called himself Takeshi Lim online, branded himself as someone who went from being a private-hire vehicle (PHV) driver to a savvy businessman.

As for Fong, he is a director and shareholder of six businesses dealing in consultancy services, retail, and fitness centres.

Lim described Fong as a mentor, and they were business partners running a Korean facial treatment franchise in April 2023.

In Facebook posts that have since been deleted, Lim shared photos of the pair in front of Lamborghinis when they travelled to Kuala Lumpur for a "supercar meetup".

Vending machine investments

Lim urged people to invest in a vending machine business known as Nozomii Vending, which operates over 500 machines, promising returns of 5 to 10 per cent a year.

Over three years from 2023, more than 40 investors committed up to S$4 million in this company.

A financial adviser who put in S$484,300, more than half of which from bank loans, told ST the returns initially came promptly, then slowed before eventually stopping altogether.

He still has S$196,000 in the business.

After Lim was declared bankrupt, he reportedly texted some of his investors claiming he had faced harassment and business sabotage in the run-up to the business failure.

In a message to one investor, quoted by ST, he apologised and said he was "ashamed and guilty" to face them.

The financial adviser, who still has S$196,000 in the vending machine business, could not contact Lim by July.

Property investments

Lim, along with Fong, also ran schemes based on commercial property deals.

Lim reportedly offered 5 per cent interest per year on his industrial property investments for three years.

As for Fong, seven people said they invested a total of S$390,000 towards a 134 sqm property in Telok Blangah Heights that he introduced them to.

This space is occupied by an unmanned laundromat.

One of them told ST he got to know Fong and this property deal from a financial wealth seminar in 2022.

Fong had promised him 15 per cent yearly dividends on his S$50,000 investment, which were paid on time for the first two years from 2023.

According to a police report cited by ST, several others had invested S$100,000 each in the same property.

After investors started pressing Fong about unpaid dividends in 2025, he left the group’s WhatsApp chat in September that year.

His ex-wife, who took over one of his firms, messaged the investors assuring them that they would get their money in the property back, while asking for "more time".

Police said investigations into both cases are ongoing, according to ST.