National water agency PUB has shared that the 30-year-old Myanmar man who was charged for creating an AI-generated image of a crocodile at Pandan Reservoir is a worker employed by their reservoir maintenance contractor.

The man, Ye Lin, also deleted the image from his phone. He was later charged in court on Sep. 29.

In a Oct. 1 Facebook post, PUB said. it had attempted to verify the authenticity of the image using several AI checker tools, but the results were “inconclusive”.

Supervisor alerted PUB

According to PUB, his supervisor alerted the agency to the image on Aug. 20.

After getting “inconclusive” results on whether the image was AI-generated, PUB and the National Parks Board (NParks) took immediate steps to deploy resources to conduct search and capture operations in the area.

“In the interest of public safety, PUB acted quickly and took the necessary precautionary measures,” the agency said.

When it was established that the image was fake, PUB made a police report.

In an earlier post, PUB urged the public to avoid circulating false information or edited images that could cause alarm, noting that such incidents could result in unnecessary deployment of public resources.

Man charged

Ye was charged on Sep. 29 with communicating a false message and obstructing the course of justice.

He was granted agency bail of S$5,000, with his next court date scheduled for Nov. 10.

A video posted on Xiao Hong Shu by a user called Momo showed a woman being escorted off an airplane.

The video has received more than 990 likes, and over 80 comments, with the caption noting a 2-hour delay.

The woman can be seeing leaving the airplane, escorted by police officers and flight attendants.

Other passengers can be heard clapping.

According to The Straits Times, Scoot said the incident happened on flight TR905, which was carrying 173 passengers.

The plane was supposed to takeoff at 6.45pm, but was delayed to about 8.45pm. Scoot said the passenger was handed over to the authorities at Macau International Airport, but did not say what disturbance the passenger had caused.

The airline apologised for the delay and inconvenience caused.

Investigation are ongoing.

An Indonesian man in Tawau, Malaysia, has been sentenced to 13 years in jail after pleading guilty to causing the death of his young daughter's rapist.

The 30-year-old man found out that his daughter, aged 12 at the time, had been raped.

She told her mother that the incident occurred when going home from a social gathering on Aug. 31, 2024, reported New Straits Times (NST).

The father subsequently went to search for the alleged rapist with parang in hand, chased him to a chicken coop and then slashed him several times.

The 33-year-old man died sometime between 7:30pm on Aug. 31 and 12pm the day after.

A hospital examination found that the girl had fresh tears to her private parts.

The rapist was identified through DNA analysis — DNA on the girl's fingernail clippings matched that from semen found on the girl's underwear.

The girl's father was later arrested at his home on Sep. 2, 2024, NST wrote.

According to Malay Mail, the father had initially been charged with murder, but the charge was later amended to culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The father's jail sentence will take effect from Sep. 2, 2024, the date of his arrest.

The court also ordered that he be referred to the Immigration Department after completing his sentence.

For his offence, he could have been sentenced to a maximum of 30 years and a fine.

Khaw Boon Wan, 73, has stepped down after serving for five years as chairman of both SPH Media Trust (SMT) and SPH Media Holdings (SPHMH).

According to a press release from SPH Media, he will be replaced by Chan Yeng Kit, SPH Media's chief executive officer (CEO).

Chan will take the role of both executive chairman of SMT and SPHMH.

On his retirement, Khaw said this marks the end of a "rewarding chapter" for him, and that he was supported by a good leadership team.

He added that SPH Media is currently in a "strong position".

He said he was pleased to pass the baton to Chan, highlighting his leadership and strategic abilities.

"I have confidence that under [Chan's] stewardship, the company will successfully continue to evolve with the changing media landscape, meet the needs of our audiences, and most importantly, fulfil its critical role in engendering an informed citizenry." 

Kuek Yu Chuang, the deputy CEO of SPH Media, has also been new appointed as its managing director.

Khaw's retirement comes as part of a larger leadership reshuffle in SPH Media.

He was part of a team that saw SPH Media's transition from a publicly listed company to a Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG).

The company said that it was grateful to Khaw and all outgoing board members for steering it through its CLG transition and the tumultuous periods of the Covid-19 pandemic and shifts in the media landscape.

Prime minister Lawrence Wong praised Khaw for taking on the role in 2021 after retiring from politics.

"As Boon Wan steps down today as chairman, I thank him for taking on this responsibility when he was called upon, for seeing SPH Media through an important period of transition, and for his many years of dedicated service to Singapore!"

A group of people has reportedly been seen setting up makeshift stalls and openly selling aphrodisiacs along three pedestrian walkways near the junction of Geylang Road and Aljunied Road.

At least eight stalls spotted

According to a report by Shin Min Daily News, when one of their reporters visited the area, they observed at least eight makeshift stalls set up within a 50m stretch.

The sellers were seen approaching passers-by and aggressively soliciting customers, with some offering products to men walking alone.

The stalls were located on both sides of Aljunied Road, as well as along Geylang Road.

The area outside a hotel along Aljunied Road reportedly had the highest concentration of sellers, with at least four stalls set up alongside each other.

The sellers were observed to be between the ages of 30 and 70 years old, and more than a dozen type of aphrodisiac products were displayed at each stall.

One seller set up the stall in seconds

The makeshift stalls consisted of two styrofoam boxes supporting a board that served as a table, while the aphrodisiac products were displayed on plastic sheets, Shin Min reported.

One of the sellers was even spotted setting up his stall in merely a few seconds.

It was also observed that the plastic sheets appeared to be configured so that sellers could quickly pack up their items and leave, should they be approached by the authorities.

Aggressive solicitation

According to Shin Min, many of the sellers spoke with Chinese accents, and were seen actively approaching potential customers.

They would approach men who were walking alone, telling them about their products and asking them if they were interested in making a purchase.

Though pedestrian traffic in the area was high, the sellers appeared to attract few customers.

Only three men stopped to look at the products over the course of an hour, and all three left without purchasing anything.

Other individuals were also spotted setting up stalls in more secluded areas near nearby alleyways.

Sellers keeping an eye out

Shin Min reported that the sellers were observed sitting on opposite sides of the walkway, and would alternate between looking at their phones and surveying their surroundings.

Upon identifying someone whom they regarded as suspicious, the sellers would exchange looks and signals with each other.

Some would even arrogantly taunt them to come arrest them.

Several people in the vicinity also appeared to be acting as lookouts, and would communicate with one another via phone and share information about what was going on in the area.

Shin Min also observed that the sellers appeared unfazed by the presence of CCTV cameras in the area, and their presence has reportedly caused discomfort among nearby residents and diners.

A Singaporean man devised an elaborate scheme to cheat victims of their money by having them sit in rigged mahjong games.

To do this, Marcus Ang Yi Sheng allegedly posed as a woman on dating apps to lure them into playing.

Unbeknownst to the victim, all the other players at the table would be co-conspirators who colluded to ensure that the victim lost.

The scheme was so effective that Ang allegedly bragged that they had a "99 per cent win rate", estimating that the crew made S$100,000 in ill-gotten gains.

CNA reported that one co-conspirator, Olivia Chin Hui Zhen, 31, was sentenced to eight months' imprisonment and fined S$3,000 on Oct. 1.

She pleaded guilty to four charges of conspiracy to cheat and one charge of unlawful gambling, with another 32 charges taken into consideration.

The rest of the group have also pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing, except for one whose case is still pending.

The scheme

According to court documents seen by Mothership, the persons involved besides Ang and Chin are the following: Jason Chin Yi Sheng, Kristy Tan Siew Boon, Leong Ying Liat, Penelope Kek Yong Ru, Chloe Low Zhiyi, Belinda Chee Yan Lin and Li Yongyi Joaquin.

The court heard that from April 2024, Ang created fake profiles on dating apps, and he would then chat with victims and ask them to play mahjong.

Once they accepted, one of Ang's female accomplices would pose as the woman in the profile and either host the game or serve as their "date" during the game.

Ang would then allegedly direct each of the conspirators present to take on pseudonyms and fake relations with one another, acting as siblings or strangers for instance.

This was so that the victim's suspicion would not be aroused by the fact that they all knew one another.

Here's how they allegedly did it.

At the mahjong table, each player took on a specific role depending on their seat.

One player would "defend" against the victim; another would form a winning hand as quickly as possible or "throw" tiles to the third player; and the third would aim to form the biggest hand possible to maximise winnings from the victim.

When Chin would serve as the host or "date", she was instructed that should the victim refuse to pay, she should pretend to offer to cover half the sum so that the victim might be more willing to pay some money.

Ang also made a WhatsApp group, “Sales appointment updates”, to coordinate games and dole out commissions to each player.

He even purportedly organised training sessions for each player to familiarise themselves with their role.

Scammed

In total, no fewer than 28 games were arranged between April and June 2024, but only 19 took place.

Victims were made to pay sums between S$1,120 to S$26,000 after they lost.

One victim purportedly refused to pay S$26,000 and left. The conspirators followed him to his house but were unsuccessful in obtaining the money.

Another victim allegedly refused to pay a similar sum, prompting the group to quarrel with him at the void deck and tell him that they would find him at his workplace and report him to the police for "raping" his fictitious "date".

Eventually, one victim made a police report.

Chin was arrested in June 2024.

Sentencing

According to CNA, Chin's lawyers sought leniency and a reduced sentence, saying that she had made full restitution.

She was the first in the group to plead guilty.

Her lawyers also argued that she had the least culpability as she was not only less experienced in the game than the others, but also did not know that the games were rigged at first, only getting involved in the scheme later.

The prosecution countered that she was involved in the conspiracy, nevertheless, and played several games, acting on Ang's instructions.

The judge said that her abilities in mahjong were irrelevant insofar as she had played a role in the scheme, but took into account the restitution that she made.

He deferred Chin's sentence by four weeks for her to settle her affairs.

For conspiracy to cheat, an offender can be jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

For unlawful gambling, an offender can receive up to six months' imprisonment, fined up to S$10,000, or both.

A female passenger on Batik Airlines insisted on carrying a cardboard box the size of a cabin lugagge on her lap and refused to give it to the airline’s crew for safekeeping. When she failed to comply, she was escorted off the plane by police officers.

Another passenger on the plane, known as Ke, told Shin Min Daily News about the incident. The plane, headed from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, was scheduled to depart at 12.30pm.

The takeoff was delayed, and Ke noticed a woman holding a box sitting near the aisle.

The box was apparently as big as her carry-on luggage. It was so big that it could not even fit into the overhead luggage rack.

For the next 45 minutes, flight attendants tried to have her hand over the box to them for safekeeping, ensuring her that it would be returned when the plane landed. One of the flight attendants apparently said, “I promise you.”, but she refused to cooperate.

A male flight attendant took the box away from her and left, but she refused to disembark after him. 5 police officers eventually showed up to persuade the woman to cooperate as well, but she did not budge. They ended up removing her from the plane.

Christa Gail Pike was scheduled to be executed in Tennessee on Sep. 30, but she remained alive after two rounds of lethal injection.

Pike could be heard ‘snoring’ after her attempted execution before the microphone was shut off, and was taken by an ambulance from the prison.

According to BBC, citing her attorney, Pike was being provided "life-saving" measures in hospital now.

Failed lethal injections

Media witnesses were allowed to observe from a separate room, and they saw Pike strapped to a gurney when officials raised the curtain to the execution chamber at about 7.30pm as reported by CNN.

She was reportedly speaking in full sentences as she was about to be administered with deadly drugs, and was heard saying, “My arm feels like it’s about to bust. One spot is really throbbing,”

Her first dose of the lethal drug, pentobarbital, was administered. About an hour she was given the first injection, a second dose was administered at around 8.30pm.

She could be heard snoring until microphones were cut off at about 9pm, and witnesses were asked to leave at that time.

According to the New York Post, her attorneys said that she had “not lost consciousness and still has a heartbeat and is audibly snoring.”

She was transferred to an off-site medical facility.

Protocol

According to the New York Post, in Tennessee, prison officials prepare one set of the lethal injection, but have enough of the drug on hand to prepare a second set if needed.

There is a five-minute waiting period after the first set is given, during which the blinds to the execution chamber are closed.

If the inmate does not die after the first set, the second set will be administered. However, the protocol does not give instructions on what to do if the second injection fails.

The Tennessee Department of Correction said that it followed all protocols during the failed execution.

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee called for a full review of what may have gone wrong and has called off the one remaining execution scheduled in the state before 2026 ends.

Following the failed execution, Pike’s lawyers filed an emergency motion to the Supreme Court to stay her execution.

Their argument says that Pike was in “unnecessary agony” and she was denied her right to be executed without “cruel and unusual punishment”.

Her attorneys said, “We take no pleasure in being right, but the concerns raised by Ms. Pike proved to be true: difficult vein access, blown veins, degraded pentobarbital, no emergency medical care available when things inevitably go wrong, all under a protocol that remains veiled in secrecy.” as reported by the New York Post.

Christa Pike’s case

In 1995, Pike, her boyfriend Tadaryl Shipp, and her friend Shadolla Peterson lured the victim, Colleen Slemmer to an isolated area of the University of Tennessee’s Knoxville Campus.

Peterson acted as the lookout as Pike and Shipp tortured Slemmer for at least 30 minutes. They carved a pentagram into Slemmer’s chest with a box cutter, hit her with a meat cleaver, and slashed at her throat while she begged for her life.

They finally killed her by using a block of asphalt to smash her head, with Pike keeping a piece of her skull.

Pike’s execution would have made her the first woman to be put to death in Tennessee in over 200 years.

Two women were arrested for suspected vice-related activities following an enforcement operation at a massage establishment along Sims Avenue.

The operation was conducted on Sep. 18 by officers from the Geylang Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC) and Bedok Division Compliance Management Unit, according to a Facebook post by Geylang NPC.

4 women seen in police photos

A photo posted on Facebook showed four women seated on a sofa with their faces blurred out.

Two women were subsequently arrested for suspected vice-related activities.

The police reminds members of the public not to take part in such activities and to report suspected cases to the police.

When ICA officers came to a Hougang flat in May, a 30-year-old man allegedly told the Indonesian woman living there to hide in a wardrobe.

He is also said to have instructed a 20-year-old man to delete messages from her phone.

Sharizal Saidon now faces three charges, according to Lianhe Zaobao, which cited an Immigration & Checkpoints Authority statement.

Three years

Alfira Mongan's special pass expired on May 19, 2023.

Sharizal is alleged to have helped her remain in Singapore unlawfully from the next day until May 26, 2026, without reasonable excuse.

That is just over three years.

He is also alleged to have allowed her to stay at his flat at Hougang during that period, despite knowing that she had overstayed.

The raid

The obstruction charge relates to May 26, 2026, when ICA officers came to the Hougang unit.

Sharizal is alleged to have obstructed them in carrying out their duties, telling Alfira to hide in a closet to avoid the search, and instructing a 20-year-old man to delete messages from her phone.

Barred

Alfira was convicted earlier and sentenced to 14 weeks' jail and a S$2,000 fine.

She has since completed her sentence, been repatriated, and barred from returning to Singapore.

What he faces

Knowingly harbouring an immigration offender carries between six months and two years’ jail, as well as a fine of up to S$6,000.

Negligently harbouring an immigration offender carries a fine of up to S$6,000, up to 12 months’ jail, or both.

Obstructing an immigration officer in the execution of their duty carries a fine of up to S$4,000, up to 12 months’ jail, or both.

Sharizal has been charged and has indicated he intends to plead guilty. His case has been adjourned to Nov. 2.