Ng Bee Kia, one of the core members of senior fitness motivation group Team Strong Silvers, has passed away.

He was 80.

His passing was announced on the Team Strong Silvers Facebook page on Jul. 4.

The team comprises men who perform calisthenic workouts regularly and challenge conventional expectations of ageing in Singapore.

The other core members of the team are Victor Chan, 73, Ngai Hin Kwok, 76, and Qian Hong, 68.

Ex-weightlifter

Ng was the oldest member.

He was a professional weightlifter, who clinched a silver medal for Singapore in the Weightlifting category at the 1973 Southeast Asian Peninsular Games.

He took a break from sports and worked as a salesman to support his family after he got married.

He went back to working out seriously again after he retired at 61.

Fitness group's routine

The group has been promoting active ageing through various national campaigns since October 2013.

They have even earned the title of "Granfluencers".

Their workouts include moves, such as dips, push-ups, front lever, and L-shape dead hangs, sometimes done in unison, as well as splits, lunges, and even headstands.

A woman in Yunnan, China, recently tried to save her husband from the venom of a cobra bite by sucking it out directly, and ended up getting poisoned herself.

She mimicked a rescue technique she had seen on TV, South China Morning Post reported.

She did not take any protective measures when she put her mouth to her husband's wound and sucked the venom.

Cobra bite

The man had been bitten on the hand by a cobra while working in his field, and soon developed symptoms: his hand grew swollen, and he felt dizzy and weak.

This caused his wife to panic and try to save him, but her attempt backfired.

Shortly after the husband was sent to the hospital, his wife also started to experience numbness in her mouth, tongue, face, and limbs.

Her condition declined, and she felt serious fatigue the next day, which prompted her family to send her to the hospital as well.

What the doctors said

At the hospital, doctors found that toxins from the cobra venom had already entered the bodies of both the husband and wife.

They were treated with anti-venom serum and other medication.

Days later, after their numbness faded and their condition stabilised, they were discharged from the hospital.

The doctors said it was a common misunderstanding that rescuers should suck out snake venom, as the capillaries in human mouths can allow the venom to quickly enter their bloodstream upon contact, causing poisoning.

The hospital staff involved in their treatment also reminded them that when someone is bitten by a venomous snake, they should be taken to a hospital immediately for safety and treatment, according to Jimu News.

Before leaving for the fatal pilgrimage in which a pickup truck drove through a row of monks, one of the monks reassured his mother that he would be safe.

The mum was speaking to local media about her heartbreak after losing her son in the accident.

The Jul. 2 accident involved an 11-year-old boy taking his parents' pickup truck without permission before losing control of the vehicle and ploughing through a procession of monks on a pilgrimage walk.

At least nine monks have died.

Became monk after surviving serious accident

According to Khaosod, Panja Chailert, 69, said that the death of her son, 41-year-old Phra Khamsing Chailert, has left he family struggling to cope.

Phra Khamsing was the youngest son in the family.

The family lives in Thailand's Khon Kaen province.

Panja said that before entering monkhood, Phra Khamsing had survived a serious accident.

His body and abilities never fully returned to normal.

Phra Khamsing later became close to a monk, Phra Yongyuth, who lived at the village temple.

Phra Khamsing himself became ordained in 2025.

He and Phra Yongyuth would often go on pilgrimage trips, but always returned safely.

"I won't die"

Before the latest trip, Phra Khamsing visited his mother and informed her about his intention to join another pilgrimage.

"I was worried, so I asked him, 'Can't you stay, my son?'" Panja said, according to Khaosod.

His reply was, "I won't die."

After learning about the crash, Panja was shocked and overwhelmed.

She asked her husband to call Phra Yongyuth, but they later learned that he had also been injured in the crash.

A nephew who travelled with the pilgrimage group later recounted to family the aftermath of the accident, and Panja believes that her son died at the scene, Khaosod wrote.

A male Singaporean swimming coach, 49, was convicted of molesting a 10-year-old girl by touching her underwater during their swimming classes.

He had pleaded not guilty to the charges, arguing that the girl had accused him of molestation because she disliked him and wanted a new swimming coach.

Molested underwater

Shin Min Daily News wrote that the 10-year-old victim, her younger sister and elder brother attended the man's swimming class for the first time on Oct. 7, 2023.

The victim realised that, on a few occasions on the 14th, 21st and 28th, the accused would approach her from behind whenever she stood in the pool and molest her under the water with his hands.

As it had frequently occurred, during the class on the 28th, the victim asked her younger sister if she had a similar experience.

Her sister said "yes".

The two girls then agreed on a coded hand signal for when either of them was touched inappropriately.

However, the victim could not recall the signal she had assigned to her sister.

The victim said that she was molested by the accused three times that day.

She informed her father the next day.

Her father then called the accused to question him.

The accused stammered in his reply, and the father alerted the police.

Accused claims victim made up lies

The accused explained that he has 20 years of coaching experience.

Whenever he coached students, he would limit contact to their palms, arms or calves.

He said he would not touch anywhere between the student's neck and thigh.

He accused the victim of despising him and of making up lies to get a new coach.

Made unnecessary body contact with victim

The prosecution said that according to the testimony from the victim's father, the two daughters had not requested to change their swimming coach.

He also said that they enjoyed swimming.

The victim also said that had she wanted a new coach, she would simply ask their parents and did not have to lie about it.

The prosecution also pointed out that, based on the swimming pool's closed-circuit television footage, the accused would keep close to the victim.

From time to time, he would also make unnecessary body contact with the victim, similar to what the victim described in her testimony.

The court convicted the accused on his charges, and there will be a further court mention on Jul. 23, Shin Min wrote.

Irritated by her younger brother talking loudly at home, a 19-year-old girl in Keelung, Taiwan, grabbed a knife from the kitchen and stabbed her brother in the neck.

The brother, who had yet to turn 15, was rushed to the hospital bleeding, Sinchew reported.

Fortunately, he is currently in a stable condition.

The sister was detained by the police, and the case will be investigated as attempted murder.

Lost control

The incident in the afternoon of Jul. 3, when the siblings were alone at home, as it was the summer school holidays.

According to Taiwan's udnstars, the sister was angered by the brother talking loudly and incessantly to his friends.

According to Sinchew, the younger brother was playing video games and talking virtually to friends.

As he got excited about the game, his voice got increasingly louder.

The sister, who was resting in her room, was unable to bear the noise and went out to argue with her brother.

She got angrier as they argued, then suddenly took a knife from the kitchen and began slashing at him.

She ended up cutting the back of his neck, causing it to bleed.

The brother ran out of the house and sought help from his grandfather, who was in a nearby shop, and the grandfather called the police.

Investigations revealed that it was the boy's sister who stabbed him, and that she had lost control during their argument.

While the boy is in a stable condition, he will require further medical assessment and treatment, the deputy director of the Keelung Education Bureau said.

The bureau added that they will also provide the family with psychological counselling.

A man was seen shaking while allegedly vaping at the level two male toilet of SAFRA Jurong on Jun. 23.

He was later assisted by paramedics after a member of the public called an ambulance and was conveyed to the hospital.

Seen shaking on toilet bowl

A clip of the incident was shared on the "sgfollowsall" Telegram channel.

In the video, the man, wearing a khaki-coloured cap and black T-shirt, could be seen sitting on a toilet bowl.

At the start of the clip, smoke could be seen exhaling from his nostrils.

He also appeared to be holding a vape device.

Throughout the clip, the man's hands were visibly shaking.

The person behind the camera asked the man a couple of times if he was okay.

In one of these instances, the man did not reply.

In another, he raised his arm to give a thumbs up and mumbled that he was okay.

Response from SAFRA

Responding to Mothership's queries, a SAFRA Jurong spokesperson said that on Jun. 23, 2026, at about 1:43am, a male individual was assisted by paramedics out of the SAFRA Jurong level two male toilet and transported to a hospital by ambulance.

"A member of the public had called the ambulance after spotting him looking unwell in the toilet," the spokesperson added.

"Individuals who commit vaping-related offences on our premises will be reported to the relevant authorities," the spokesperson reminded.

When queried by Mothership, the Singapore Civil Defence Force said it received a call for assistance at about 1:35am.

It conveyed one person to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

A 20-year-old Singaporean man was ordered to undergo reformatory training for at least six months after getting a 12-year-old girl to perform sexual acts on him.

The man pleaded guilty to committing an indecent act with a child in December 2025 and was sentenced on Jun. 30, The Straits Times reported.

The accused cannot be named as a gag order was imposed to protect the victim’s identity.

Religious teacher

In earlier court proceedings, the man was reportedly the girl’s religious teacher in early 2025.

He taught her three classes in a group setting that involved about five to six pupils.

The accused obtained all of the pupils’ contact details and created a chat group to send them lesson notes.

After one of the lessons, the man spent time with the girl and reportedly bought her chocolates and lunch.

Her mother was informed of the situation and complained to the mosque.

He was subsequently removed from his appointment.

However, he and the girl secretly started a romantic relationship.

Sex acts

According to charge sheets seen by Mothership, on the afternoon of May 8, 2025, the man hugged and kissed the girl at a multi-storey carpark in the vicinity of Tampines 1.

Five days later, on the afternoon of May 13, 2025, the pair met at a staircase landing of an HDB block in the vicinity of Bedok Mall.

He reportedly requested the girl to perform oral sex on him, but she refused.

However, she was hugged, groped and kissed by the man.

Break up

The pair eventually broke up after third parties learned about their relationship.

The identities of the said parties were not disclosed.

The girl told her mother about the incident, and a police report was lodged in July 2025.

Sentencing

During sentencing, the judge noted that the offence involved skin-to-skin contact.

The pair’s age gap was also acknowledged.

The man requested probation, citing that he was remorseful and his parents regularly checked his phone to monitor his activities.

Refomative training

Reformative training is a rehabilitative sentencing option.

According to Singapore Prison Services, young offenders may undergo psychology-based correctional programmes, family and education programmes, employability skills training and personal development programmes, based on their rehabilitation needs.

They are also subjected to a strict regime that can include counselling sessions and foot drills.

The Ministry of Law (MinLaw) has launched three new community initiatives — a heritage trail, a roving exhibition and commemorative stamps — to celebrate 200 years since the establishment of Singapore's modern judicial and legal system.

In a press release, MinLaw said that these initiatives will provide "different perspectives on how Singapore's modern legal and judicial systems have underpinned various phases of Singapore's development".

Heritage trail

The heritage trail will showcase 20 locations significant to the Rule of Law in Singapore, such as the former Supreme Court building, Old Parliament House and Hong Lim Park.

"The heritage trail tells the stories behind these landmarks and traces the evolution of Singapore's legal landscape," MinLaw described.

Members of the public can experience the heritage trail either on a guided walking tour or via a virtual tour.

The guided walking tour will be free and covers nine of the 20 locations. They will run from Jul. 11, 2026, to December 2026.

More details on the guided tours and the virtual tour can be found here.

Roving exhibition, commemorative stamps

A roving exhibition bringing the story of the evolution of Singapore's legal system will also be showcased at various locations across Singapore.

It will start at Harbourfront Library in August 2026. MinLaw said it will share more details in due course.

MinLaw has also collaborated with SingPost to launch a set of four commemorative stamps, which will be available for purchase at the Philatelic Counter in the General Post office, the Philatelic Store @ Tampines, or online.

On the initiatives, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Law Eric Chua said, "SGLaw200 is more than just a commemoration. It is our opportunity to pause, appreciate and reflect upon just how much the Rule of Law has shaped our progress as a nation."

"Through these new community initiatives, we hope to bring the story of the Rule of Law in Singapore’s journey to life," Chua also said.

Once booming with 13 outlets across Singapore at its peak, The Original Vadai has scaled down its business to eight outlets today.

More closures are also coming, food critic KF Seetoh wrote in a Facebook post on Jul. 3.

In an accompanying video, Seetoh chats with Stephen Suriyah, the owner of The Original Vadai, about the closures.

"I think I need to downsize, so that... I can control the quality," he explained. "Too many outlets, we cannot control the way our staff works and all this kind of thing."

"I'm not a smart businessman," he admitted. "I learnt, along the way, a lot of painful mistakes, a lot of costly mistakes."

He was "most peaceful" running two or three outlets, he said. Running many outlets, however, gave him stress and a financial burden.

Ambition

The Original Vadai's roots began in 1989, according to its Facebook page.

It was a family business that started when Stephen's mother found a way to create a fluffier and lighter version of prawn vadai (dough fritters) to cater to Singaporean taste buds, according to a gov.sg profile story on Stephen.

After Stephen's father passed away, the family's financial struggles prompted him to drop out of school and take over the business at 18.

He told Seetoh he was ambitious in expanding the business to 13 stalls because he wanted everyone in Singapore to know what vadai is.

"When I first joined my mom, when I tell people I sell vadai, nobody knows what it is... they will ask, 'What is that?'" he said.

"I wanted it to reach people. That's the reason why I expanded."

Good responses initially

When Seetoh asked if he was being greedy, Stephen explained that the demand was there at the time, and the business had good responses when they opened many outlets.

The Original Vadai's first brick-and-mortar store opened in Golden Mile Food Centre in April 2020.

In the profile story, Stephen recalled how a Facebook post he made about its soft launch went viral, and the queues were "crazy" by the second day.

Within two years after that, he went on to open 10 outlets.

Lessons learnt

While commending Stephen's desire to promote the heritage of vadai, Seetoh pointed out that he had not thought carefully about the operational and manpower issues in Singapore.

Stephen acknowledged the mistake and shared two lessons he has learned from it.

The first is to keep the business within "whatever you can touch, whatever you can control", as he believes it will be rather difficult if the owner tries to expand the business and delegate control to other people.

He also believes now that sometimes "we just need to stick to what we can do rather than be too ambitious".

Despite the uncertain future of The Original Vadai, Seetoh concluded the video optimistically, saying that Suriyah will be reconsolidating to "come back stronger".

Related stories

Political parties in Singapore are, by nature, portraits of continued renewal.

The Workers’ Party (WP) is no exception. At the recent party conference on Jun. 28, cadres voted on the fate of secretary-general Pritam Singh.

Singh ultimately emerged triumphant, having secured almost 80 per cent of the vote — a feat some analysts suggested could be in part due to the support of his predecessor, Low Thia Khiang.

Singh went on to be re-elected, unopposed, as the WP chief in the party's Central Executive Committee (CEC) elections.

In “Step Up: The Workers’ Party of Singapore 2.0 — The Road to GE2025 and Beyond”, former WP parliamentarian Yee Jenn Jong and biographer Loke Hoe Yeong delve into the party’s evolution over the years.

An abridged excerpt from the book, from chapters 4 and 5 — “The Breakthrough Years under Low Thia Khiang” and “Pritam Singh Takes Over and Prepares for the Future” — has been reproduced here.

The book is available for purchase directly here or via Kinokuniya, Popular, Book Bar, and World Scientific (use promo code WSASOC20 for 20 per cent off).

By Yee Jenn Jong and Loke Hoe Yeong

In GE2011, Low Thia Khiang surprised the PAP by coming out of his Hougang SMC stronghold to lead the party’s “A” team — then comprised of NCMP Sylvia Lim, Pritam Singh, Chen Show Mao and Faisal Manap — against a strong PAP team led by George Yeo.

A key member of the PAP third-generation leadership, Yeo headed ministries ranging from Health, to Trade and Industry, to Foreign Affairs.

Yet, the WP managed to win 54.72% of the votes, up from 43.91% in GE2006.

Low kept close tabs on our performances during the 12th Parliament term. He was understandably cautious, given that the ruling party was ready to tear our proposals apart if there were loopholes or errors.

As a warning for us to be thorough in our facts and calculations, he cited the 1996 case of Chee Soon Juan and three others from the SDP. The group was charged and fined by the Committee of Privileges for falsifying data in a healthcare paper they had published.

As leader of the WP, Low was trying to ensure that the new parliamentarians pass their first term safely. I was not restricted in what I wished to say as long as my arguments were sound. We were responsible for preparing ourselves well.

Parliament is like a modern-day gladiator arena. We do not fight with swords and rods, but with words.

The next era

In 2001, Low took over under challenging circumstances and reorganised the party to recruit younger professionals and worked on rebranding the party.

From 2011 to 2020, the party strengthened its foundations to get ready for further pushes. To grow, it needed to expand its base.

It also had to find a way to run the town council despite encountering obstacles along the way. The challenges were eventually overcome: reliable staff were cultivated and an alternative information management system developed.

The party was ready to expand, if given the mandate.

In 2017, the highly respected Low made a shocking public announcement at the party’s 60th anniversary dinner that he would be stepping down after 16 years as WP leader. The cadres were to elect the next secretary-general at the Cadres’ Meeting in April 2018.

Prior to that, Low had prepared the ground, appointing Singh in 2016 as assistant secretary-general, a post that had been vacant since 2006. He had also met privately with a few of us in 2016 to broach the idea of his impending retirement.

I respect Low for knowing when to bow out. When he felt that the team from the class of 2011 and 2015 could take the party to another level, he let them take centre stage.

Often, when the party encountered challenges after Low’s retirement, particularly when Singh faced court charges over his handling of former MP Raeesah Khan’s lie in Parliament, people speculated that Low would make a comeback.

I would tell them no. Low had retired and did not believe that he must resurface to save the party. Low would provide advice from behind the scenes when called upon but he knew when it was time to let go.

Even if Singh was forced out of Parliament by a legal conviction, another leader from his generation would fill the position.

Such was Low’s confidence in the team that he had quietly built.

[...]

Success and setbacks

In 2020, with 10 elected seats in Parliament, the leader of the WP, Pritam Singh, was given the newly created title of Leader of the Opposition. It was the first time that the government officially recognised such a role.

Two years earlier, Singh had succeeded Low Thia Khiang as secretary-general, after Low stepped down from that position in 2018 at the age of 62.

After the new high of GE2020, the WP suffered several setbacks. The first was when Sengkang GRC MP Raeesah Khan admitted to lying on three occasions in Parliament over a speech she had first made in August 2021.

Although she resigned in November 2021, the matter was raised to the Committee of Privileges (COP), during which the WP’s senior leaders — Singh, Sylvia Lim, Faisal Manap — were questioned in marathon sessions, alongside Khan and other members of the party.

The remaining three members of the Sengkang GRC team continued to manage the town. In GE2025, the WP was re-elected with an even stronger mandate, 56.31% compared to GE2020’s 52.13%.

The aftermath

Singh has headed the party for only seven years since succeeding Low Thia Khiang but has already achieved much by the standard of Singapore’s opposition politics.

He also had to face relentless challenges by his opponents on his character over how Raeesah Khan’s case was handled. He led the party to win a second GRC in Sengkang and became Singapore’s first officially recognised Leader of the Opposition, a role which he held after GE2020 till January 2026, when the PAP-dominated Parliament voted to find Singh unsuitable for that position after he lost his High Court appeal over the conviction of lying under oath to a parliamentary committee.

Singh appears more willing to embrace the times, drawing volunteers systematically and even seeking professional services to expand the party’s media outreach. He has also demonstrated greater willingness to engage with the media, appearing in podcasts and on a chat show on national television.

At the same time, he is a disciplinarian like his predecessor, having enforced party discipline on several occasions when members crossed the line.

Singh has already announced the party’s medium-term ambition to deny the PAP its two-thirds majority in Parliament. That is a tall order given that it would need another 23 seats on top of the existing 10 elected ones.

But he sees his role as “normalising” the idea that even with a strong opposition, the Singapore government can still function well, like in other democratic systems.

Singh may yet try to use the same approach in the next general election: putting up the strongest possible slate of candidates and configuring them for possible wins in all the races. He has shown his willingness to field new and young candidates if they have the right attitude and can uphold the party’s 3Rs branding.

Hopefully, his boldness in contesting to win will secure positive results and allow Singh to leave a strong legacy of his place in Singapore politics.