A 70-year-old man died in an early morning fire at Block 39 Circuit Road on Jul. 28 and his family has declined to help with identifying his body and arranging his funeral, Shin Min Daily News reported.

According to the Chinese-language paper, the man lived alone in a ninth-floor unit.

He died after a fire broke out at around 2am.

Family declined to help with funeral

Neighbours told Shin Min that the man was a recluse and did not leave his home often.

They also shared that he did not get many visitors over the years.

Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC Member of Parliament Tin Pei Ling told Shin Min that the victim had relied on the Silver Scheme Support to get by.

Tin added that the man and his family were estranged.

The relevant authorities have contacted the family, and they turned down the request to identify his body or help with the funeral arrangements, according to Tin.

"We have already contacted Cheng Hong Welfare Service Society, and they will help with his funeral arrangements. As the elderly man had accumulated a number of belongings prior to his death, we will also be making arrangements for these items," Tin shared.

Deceased divorced for some years

Next-door neighbour Liang (transliteration), 51, said the elderly man had been divorced for some years, Shin Min wrote.

The elderly man had in the past sought help from Liang to contact his daughter after he was hospitalised following a fall, but Liang said she could not reach her.

"He later said there was no need to look for his daughter anymore," Liang recalled.

All Singaporean households are set to receive an additional S$300 Community Development Council (CDC) Vouchers in January 2027.

Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Finance Jeffrey Siow announced this during a press conference on Jul. 29, as part of a government support package of around S$900 million in light of the Middle East situation.

This is on top of the measures announced at Budget 2026 and the S$1 billion assistance package announced in a Apr. 7 ministerial statement.

The measures are aimed at providing further support for businesses and Singaporean households to manage cost pressures in light of the Middle East situation, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said in a media factsheet.

While the worst-case scenario did not happen, the situation remains “fragile”, Siow said.

“As a result, we expect global energy prices to remain elevated, which will translate to higher costs for petrol, diesel, electricity, as well as certain imported goods,” he said.

Support for households

CDC vouchers

To help with daily expenses and cushion the impact of inflation, the government will be disbursing S$300 CDC vouchers in January 2027 to every Singaporean household.

They will be valid until Dec. 31, 2027.

S$500 CDC vouchers were previously disbursed in June 2026.

U-Save rebates

To help households better manage their electricity bills, the Government will enhance the upcoming U-Save rebates in October 2026 and January 2027, Siow announced.

This continues the enhancements to U-Save disbursed earlier in April and July.

Taken together, eligible HDB households will receive S$110 to S$190 per quarter, double the regular GSTV-U-Save amount.

For Singaporean households living in a four-room HDB or smaller flat, the government expects these enhancements for U-Save to fully offset higher utility bills until March 2027.

ComCare Interim Assistance

The government will also provide additional support for lower-income households, Siow said.

They will increase monthly payouts for ComCare Interim Assistance to at least S$250 per month for up to three months, with more provided to those with greater needs or more dependents.

They will also be more flexible on the eligibility for ComCare Interim Assistance, so more households can qualify for support, Siow said.

Enhancements will take effect from August to December 2026.

In a media release on Jul. 29, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said the Interim Assistance enhancements will apply from Aug. 17 to Dec. 31, 2026, and will be administered by MSF and the People’s Association (PA).

The ministry added that the eligibility criteria includes lower-income Singapore Citizens (SC) or Permanent Residents (PR) with at least one SC immediate family member in the same household residing in public housing and who are currently not receiving ComCare assistance.

While the usual income criterion for ComCare Interim Assistance is a per capita household income of S$800 a month, the criterion will be applied more flexibly during the enhancement period.

Households facing financial difficulty may apply for Interim Assistance even if their income is above the current threshold, MSF said.

In addition, households that require longer-term support may be assessed for other forms of ComCare assistance.

Households in need of assistance can apply online via the SupportGoWhere portal or approach a community club/centre.

Additionally, MSF said households already on ComCare Short-to-Medium-Term Assistance, but who need more help, can approach the Social Service Offices (SSOs) for a review.

Their monthly cash assistance will be increased by at least 5 per cent or S$50, whichever is higher, for up to three months, the ministry shared.

This Temporary Supplementary Allowance will apply during the same period between Aug. 17 and Dec. 31, 2026.

Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling announced a slew of support measures for businesses during a press conference on Jul. 29.

The measures are part of a support package of around S$900 million in response to the Middle East situation.

Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Finance Jeffrey Siow explained during the press conference that inflation is expected to remain elevated into 2027.

Against this backdrop, Low said the government is boosting support for businesses in Singapore, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

“We do this because we understand that many SMEs are concerned about higher operating costs and their cash flow. We aim to help them better manage their costs in the near term, while at the same time giving them the support they need to make business adjustments for the long run,” she said.

Support for businesses

Low outlined three ways the government is helping businesses.

Enterprise Financing Scheme

First, a time-bound enhancement will be made to the Enterprise Financing Scheme (EFS), from September 2026 to March 2027.

This is to enable local enterprises to better access financing to meet their cash flow needs, Low explained.

They will also increase the Government’s risk-share from 50 per cent to 70 per cent for the EFS-SME Working Capital Loan and EFS-Project Loan.

With this, businesses will have improved access to financing for their cash flow.

The coverage of the EFS-Project Loan will also be expanded to support domestic projects for local construction enterprises, making it easier for them to secure financing to manage higher costs amidst a challenging environment, Low said.

SME Cash Grant 2026

The government will also provide a one-off SME Cash Grant to support SMEs with their cash flow needs.

Active SMEs with at least one local employee will receive a one-off S$500 grant per local employee, capped at S$2,500 per SME.

Eligible sole proprietorships, partnerships, and limited liability partnerships with at least one local business owner but no local employees will receive a flat payout of S$500.

No application is required, and eligible SMEs will receive the benefit in November 2026.

Rental support for market and hawker centre stallholders

The government will also provide rental support for stallholders in markets and hawker centres managed by the government and government- appointed operators, Low announced.

Cooked food stalls will each receive S$1,200, while market stalls will each receive S$600.

This will be disbursed over six months from September 2026 to February 2027.

Details of the support will be provided to stallholders separately by the relevant agencies.

Low added that beyond these three measures, they are continuing to work closely with sector agencies to support and strengthen Singapore’s businesses through this challenging time.

“We are keeping a very close watch on how our businesses fare, and we stand ready to provide additional targeted support when needed as the situation evolves,” she said.

Low further shared during the press conference:

"We want to work with them through this rental support to sustain Singapore's hawker culture and also hawker trade and food culture. At the same time, in so doing, we want to demonstrate the government is being a responsible manager of these premises, the hawker centre and the market."

Around 15,200 stores are expected to benefit from the rental support, of which 6,900 are cooked food stalls, and the remaining 8,300 are market stalls.

Low also explained that the higher quantum for the cooked food stalls reflects the broader range of cost pressures that are experienced by these hawkers, such as the energy cost from preparing food, and raw material costs.

More than 12,500 resale flats have been listed on the Resale Flat Listing (RFL) service since its launch in May 2024.

According to a Jul. 28 Housing and Development Board (HDB) media factsheet, the RFL service is a one-stop platform on the HDB Flat Portal for the listing and transaction of HDB resale flats.

RFL service

Among the listings, over six in 10 sellers who listed their flats proceeded to complete their resale transactions, the factsheet stated.

Close to four in 10 of these completed resale transactions were by sellers who listed their flats on their own without a property agent.

According to the factsheet, the service currently provides an additional platform for resale flat sellers and their appointed property agents to list their flats.

Whether to make listing compulsory

It added that the Ministry of National Development (MND) and HDB are studying whether to require all resale flat sellers to list their flats on the RFL service.

This is to further strengthen it as a transparent, reliable and trusted marketplace for HDB resale flats.

The factsheet stated that this would provide buyers a comprehensive view of verified and accurate listings from eligible sellers.

It would also give sellers greater assurance that interested buyers are eligible to purchase an HDB flat with a valid HFE letter.

In addition, sellers who wish to continue marketing their flats on other property portals, in addition to the RFL service, will be able to do so.

Resale process

The factsheet noted that since its launch, HDB has continually enhanced the RFL service to provide buyers and sellers with better market insights and more effective support throughout the resale process.

This includes sellers now receiving prompts when their listing price exceeds the recent highest transacted price of nearby resale flats by 5 per cent, 10 per cent, or more, so that they can make informed decisions on their listing prices.

The listing will also indicate upfront that the price exceeds recent transaction prices to help buyers make more prudent purchasing decisions.

HDB has also introduced advisories for sellers to verify their appointed property agent's registration with the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) and on the proper use of images in their listings.

Property agents

CEA said in a Jul. 28 press release that it will be extending the validity periods for all property agency licences and property agent registrations from one year to three years from Jan. 1, 2027.

The upcoming licensing and registration renewal exercise for existing property agencies and property agents at the end of 2026 will kickstart the first three-year cycle, which will run from Jan. 1, 2027, to Dec. 31, 2029.

To uphold industry professionalism under the extended registration period, a new Currency Requirement (CR) for property agents will be introduced.

Under the new CR, property agents must either complete at least three property transactions over their three-year registration period, or pass a Refresher Examination, to be eligible for registration renewal for another three years.

CEA shared that they have conducted an industry review together with MND to guide the industry towards "greater efficiency and sustainability".

Senior Minister of State for National Development & Transport Sun Xueling announced the changes at the Singapore Estate Agents Conference, organised by the Singapore Institute of Estate Agents (SIEA), on Jul. 28.

Four men, aged between 28 and 45, are slated to be charged on Jul. 29 for their suspected involvement in providing a modified foodpanda application and local accounts to foreigners to facilitate illegal platform work.

No need to take real-time selfie

Preliminary investigations revealed that the modified application apparently allowed foreigners to bypass real-time verification checks by uploading a photo of the account owner instead of taking a real-time selfie to log onto the platform.

This purportedly enabled foreign unauthorised users to impersonate the actual account owners and operate accounts that did not belong to them for illegal work.

The foreign unauthorised users were allegedly found to have paid fees around S$50 to S$120 per week to use the modified application.

They were apparently also given instructions on how to install and use the modified application to impersonate the actual account owner and accept job assignments via the food delivery platform.

Acting on information from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the police subsequently arrested the four men.

Penalties

According to the Singapore Police Force (SPF), it is illegal for foreigners to enter into platform work arrangements with platform operators, or to impersonate local platform workers and perform work using their accounts.

The four men will be charged with the offence of access with intent to commit cheating.

The offence carries a jail term of up to 10 years, a fine not exceeding S$50,000, or both.

MOM will also be investigating foreigners who worked illegally as platform workers for offences under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA).

A foreign domestic worker has been sentenced to life imprisonment for suffocating her elderly employer in his Bishan unit after he questioned her about stealing jewellery from his wife.

On Jul. 29, Sumiyati, a 53-year-old Indonesian national, pleaded guilty to one charge of murder causing the death of a 73-year-old man, and the judge convicted her of the offence.

In her mitigation plea, read to the court by her lawyer, she claimed that she was hypnotised by the black magic of a person in Indonesia around the time of the offence.

Sumiyati was in tears in court.

However, when the judge asked if the murder was a voluntary act she committed on her own, Sumiyati said "yes" through her lawyer.

Took care of the deceased

Sumiyati was employed by the deceased's family at the time of the incident on Apr. 28, 2022.

She was hired by the deceased man's daughter in September 2019 to take care of him.

The deceased used a wheelchair due to mobility issues.

Her other responsibilities included cleaning and cooking.

From then up to the day of the offence, she was living with the deceased, his wife, and his daughter, in their unit at Block 222 Bishan Street 23.

According to the prosecution, she had no complaints about her employers.

The accused said the deceased was caring and gentle to her.

The family in turn was satisfied with her performance.

When her contract was due to expire in 2022, Sumiyati had wanted to leave and return to Indonesia, but the deceased persuaded her to stay.

She agreed as she needed money to support her young children.

Theft

On separate occasions between Apr. 12 and 21, 2022, Sumiyati stole three gold rings, one gold bracelet, and a pair of gold earrings from the deceased's wife, knowing they were stored in an unlocked drawer.

She sold the items at a nearby pawn shop for cash.

When the deceased's wife confronted her, she handed over the pawn tickets and said she will redeem the loss in June or July 2022.

The family decided not to lodge a police report after the deceased asked them to give her another chance.

To date, Sumiyati has made no restitution to the wife for the stolen jewellery, valued at about S$1,470.

The murder

On the afternoon of Apr. 28, 2022, the deceased started questioning Sumiyati about stealing jewellery from his wife for about 30 minutes.

She felt angry about being accused of theft and about his incessant nagging, and was afraid of being reported to the police.

She weighed several options of killing the deceased, including stabbing and strangling him, but eventually decided on suffocating him with a pillow.

This way, she would not have to see his face and feel bad when killing him.

She also thought that it would not leave injuries on his body, and others might believe he died naturally due to his old age if there were no injuries.

She covered his face with a pillow and suffocated him for about 30 minutes.

She then packed her belongings, stole S$70 cash, two phones, and a pair of earrings belonging to the deceased's wife. She later pawned one of the phones for S$20.

The deceased was discovered unconscious in the unit by his wife, who called an ambulance. He was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

Sumiyati was arrested by the police the next day.

Allegedly victim of scams

In the mitigation plea, Sumiyati's lawyer told the court that she suffered a few failed marriages, the first of which she was subject to domestic violence by her ex-husband.

He added that she grew up in a village in Indonesia, and has little command of English.

She spoke through a Bahasa Indonesia interpreter and her lawyer in court.

She was only educated in primary school up to the age of 14, having to leave school due to her family’s financial situation.

She also claimed to have been a victim of scams by three different men in Indonesia.

She was attached romantically to the first man even though she never met him and only spoke to him over the phone. Promising to marry her, he got her to transfer 25 million rupiah (S$1,790) to him, then stopped contacting her.

Sumiyati later met another man she was convinced had spiritual powers in black magic, and she transferred 60 million rupiah (S$4,295) to him to help her make the first man marry her.

In court, the judge clarified repeatedly whether Sumiyati's claim that she was hypnotised by this man's black magic to kill the deceased was not suggesting that she was acting involuntarily.

In other words, the murder was a voluntary act of her own initiative.

Through her lawyer, Sumiyati affirmed this.

The prosecution accepted that it was Sumiyati version of the events that she was scammed, but argued that these allegations are background facts "far removed" from the thefts, the motivation of the killing, and the actual killing itself.

Sentencing

In her sentencing, the judge took into consideration that a psychiatric report by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) previously assessed Sumiyati to not have an intellectual disability and was not of unsound mind during the offence.

A doctor had diagnosed her with borderline intellectual functioning, but the judge and prosecution argued that it does not go to the issue of guilt over the offence.

In considering whether to mete out the death penalty, the judge said the degree of planning was limited — Sumiyati had hatched the plan spontaneously that afternoon after becoming angry at being falsely accused.

While the judge called the murder a "horrific tragedy", she noted it was not a case where the accused could be said to have exhibited viciousness or a blatant disregard of human life deserving of death.

She ultimately sentenced Sumiyati to life imprisonment backdated to the date of her remand on Apr. 30, 2022.

Sumyati's lawyer said he was informed by her to "extend her greatest apologies to the family of the victim", and that she seeks their forgiveness.

I'm not afraid to admit it: I'm a GrabCoins hoarder.

For the uninitiated, GrabCoins (formerly known as GrabRewards points) are earned when you make purchases or bookings through the Grab app. Every 500 GrabCoins is worth S$1.

As someone who regularly orders GrabFood while working from home and takes Grab rides to work events, I've managed to accumulate quite a stash over the years.

A week ago, I decided to check my GrabCoins balance by tapping the coins icon in the top-right corner of the homepage.

And what did I find? A whopping 184,368 GrabCoins, with 182,996 of them due to expire by Jul. 31, much to my horror.

Talk about catching it just in time.

GrabCoins now expire after six months

From Jul. 31, 2026, GrabCoins are now subject to a six-month rolling expiry policy.

That means it’s time to stop hoarding and spend them monthly because your GrabCoins expire six months from the month you earn them.

I had completely forgotten that most of mine were expiring at the end of July.

Needless to say, it was time to start putting them to use.

Apart from your balance and expiry date, the GrabCoins page also lists all the available redemption options.

Most people know you can use GrabCoins to offset the cost of Grab rides and GrabFood orders.

But there are plenty of other ways to redeem them too.

For instance, you can exchange your GrabCoins for vouchers at retailers such as 7-Eleven and Sheng Siong, as well as food outlets like Subway and Paris Baguette.

For example, I can redeem a S$5 voucher with just 2,900 GrabCoins.

Another fun way to use your GrabCoins is to enter lucky draws — for example, you can spend 50 GrabCoins for a chance to win an Apple Watch. You know I'll be taking those chances.

Not bad.

If you've been hoarding GrabCoins like I have, you can also redeem bigger rewards, such as a S$20 IKEA gift card for 10,500 GrabCoins.

Or, if you're saving up for your next holiday, you can convert your GrabCoins into KrisFlyer miles too, such as 2,000 KrisFlyer miles for 26,000 GrabCoins.

And if you really wanna get more bang for your buck, there are also monthly GrabCoins Flash Sales that start on the 15th of every month, where selected vouchers — such as S$10 off GrabFood or Grab rides — can be redeemed for almost half the usual number of GrabCoins.

Some vouchers are discounted by up to 60 per cent during the Flash Sale as well. So mark your calendars.

How I earned so many GrabCoins

If you're wondering how I managed to accumulate more than 180,000 GrabCoins, there are quite a few ways to do so.

Normally, they can be earned through everyday transactions such as booking rides, ordering GrabFood or GrabMart, or using PayLater by Grab.

But there are also bonus earning opportunities, such as hosting a group order or ordering from merchants found only on Grab that can get you five per cent back in GrabCoins.

Another great way to earn coins is booking a table on Grab Dine Out to get 1,000 GrabCoins. You can find the full list of bonus “boosters” at the GrabCoins homepage in the app.

Just remember that your GrabCoins expire at the end of every month, six months after you’ve earned them.

So check your balance regularly.

Otherwise, you might find yourself panic-redeeming all your GrabCoins like I did or with no coins to redeem at all. (Although I can't complain about effectively getting free Grab rides for two weeks straight.)

This branded article by Grab made this writer go on a GrabCoin-redeeming spree.

Former People's Action Party Member of Parliament Lim Soo Peng has died at the age of 97.

Lim, who was an MP for Havelock in the 1960s and 70s, passed on Jul. 27, according to an obituary by the Straits Times.

In a Facebook post, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong paid tribute to Lim, and said that he was "saddened to learn of" the news.

"As MP, Mr Lim worked hard to improve the living conditions of his residents, laying the foundations for the area’s subsequent urban transformation," PM Wong said.

After his retirement from politics, Lim devoted himself to serving the community, serving as a Home Team volunteer for 55 years.

The former Justice of the Peace also supported inmates and those undergoing rehabilitation in prisons and drug rehabilitation centres.

He advocated for their welfare and eventual reintegration into society.

Lim "believed in listening to people, understanding their circumstances, and giving them a second chance", wrote PM Wong.

"Mr Lim exemplified a lifetime of service and quiet dedication to others. Singapore owes pioneers like him a deep debt of gratitude."

Home Team volunteer

In a 2022 interview with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Lim spoke about his 55 years of volunteerism, which led to him receiving the Public Service Medal and the Public Service Star in 1997 and 2001 respectively.

As a volunteer, he would visit prisons and hold dialogue sessions with inmates to gain insights into the issues they were facing.

He then highlighted these to the authorities.

Lim said he hoped to see the enhancement of Singapore's efforts to reintegrate ex-offenders back into society.

He added:

"Personally, perseverance and commitment to the ideals of public service are what have kept me here for the long haul.

It’s in my nature to keep working and volunteering, regardless of my age, as I believe in lifelong work."

Lim was also the Founder, Chairman and Managing Director of listed company Chemical Industries (Far East) Ltd, from which he retired as Emeritus Chairman in July 2025 at the age of 96.

A TikTok post that linked a fitness instructor to the resignation of the former Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim has been taken down following an order from the Online Safety Commission (OSC).

The TikTok post included a screenshot of a Telegram message which falsely alleged that a female fitness instructor was "the one who caused MP Faishal to resign".

OSC received report regarding TikTok post, other content

Responding to Mothership's queries, an OSC spokesperson confirmed that it received a report in relation to the matter on Jul. 28.

It said that, among other content, the report referenced the TikTok post.

“Following assessment of the report and determination that online harmful activity had taken place, the OSC took action in relation to the post, which was no longer available as of [Jul. 28] evening,” said the spokesperson.

The spokesperson also said that the OSC is currently looking into other content identified in the report and will take appropriate action where necessary.

The OSC began operations on Jun. 29 and serves as a one-stop agency to help victims of online harms seek recourse.

Untrue allegations

The fitness instructor, Rasidah Caudal, took to Instagram on Jul. 27 to deny the allegations.

She shared a screenshot of a Telegram message that claimed she was "the one who caused MP Faishal to resign".

The same image was posted on TikTok on Jul. 26.

Caudal called the allegations "untrue" and said in the caption of her Instagram post that she had been "wrongfully accused".

"I would like to take the occasion to categorically reject these accusations," she said.

She told Mothership that she "will not hesitate to take legal action" against anyone spreading the false rumours.

The new Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Zaqy Mohamad also stepped forward to defend Caudal in a Facebook post.

"It reminds us to be careful with our words and responsible with what we share. Before passing on a claim, let us pause, verify the facts and remember that a few clicks online can cause deep hurt to innocent people," Zaqy wrote.

Six men, aged between 18 and 27, will be charged in court on Jul. 29, 2026, for rioting.

This comes after the police arrested seven men, aged between 18 and 33, for their suspected involvement in a case of rioting that left one 48-year-old man injured.

Investigations are ongoing against the remaining 33-year-old man.

The police said in a press release on Jul. 28 that they were alerted to a fight at Block 243 Yishun Ring Road at about 8pm on Jul. 24.

Officers subsequently found a man with injuries at the car park near the block.

The 48-year-old man sustained head and body injuries and was conveyed unconscious to the hospital.

The police established the identities of the persons involved and arrested them between Jul. 25 and 28 through follow-up investigations and with the aid of images from police cameras.

The offence of rioting carries a jail term of up to seven years and caning.

"The police will not tolerate such brazen acts of violence and blatant disregard of the law. We will spare no effort to apprehend those responsible and deal with them in accordance with the law," they said.

Attack

A 57-year-old resident previously told Shin Min Daily News that he had seen a group of people gathered near the car park, and suspected that a quarrel or fight had broken out.

Another resident, 18, recounted hearing sounds of fighting from below his unit and went to his window to look, where he saw a man being surrounded and allegedly beaten by several others.

The man had apparently fallen to the ground and could not get up, while his attackers kept hitting and kicking him.

A pool of blood was later seen on the ground near the motorcycle parking area, along with scattered debris, a detached shoe sole, and several cigarette butts nearby.