A 21-year-old man was arrested for allegedly brandishing a 40cm knife during a dispute along Selegie Road.

The Singapore Police Force said it was alerted to the incident at about 4:48am on Jul. 27, after receiving a report of a dispute involving a man holding a "rod-like object".

Preliminary investigations found that the man had concealed a 40cm knife behind his shirt before confronting three others.

During the dispute, he allegedly drew the knife and brandished it at them before leaving the scene.

There were no injuries reported.

The man was later arrested after police established his identity through extensive ground enquiries and with the aid of police cameras.

The knife, which he had disposed of, was subsequently recovered along Middle Road.

To be charged in court

The man was set to be charged in court on Aug. 1, 2026, with carrying offensive weapons in public places under Section 6 of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act 1958, according to SPF's media release.

The offence carries a jail term of up to three years and a minimum of six strokes of the cane.

The police said they take a serious view of such brazen acts, which pose a danger to public safety and the well-being of the public.

"The Police will not hesitate to take firm action against those who blatantly disregard the law."

A Singaporean man who was reported missing in Vietnam by his family has been arrested for his alleged role in an etomidate-laced vape syndicate.

30-year-old Oh Jiang Fong is accused of supplying the etomidate-laced e-liquid to the syndicate, reported the Voice of Vietnam.

According to VnExpress, Vietnamese police arrested 65 people on Jul. 31, including 10 foreigners believed to have played key roles in the operation.

This included four Singaporeans, four Malaysians and two Taiwanese nationals.

Police identified 30-year-old Malaysian Hoo Jia How and 30-year-old Singaporean Melvin Tan Junjie as the alleged ringleaders.

House raided

Vietnamese law enforcement said they uncovered the network in early July before raiding a house, where they seized 1,331 e-cigarette cartridges and 140ml of etomidate-laced e-liquid.

Based on the suspects' statements, Tan and Hoo allegedly collected the e-liquid from Oh, brought it to their rented house on Cong Quynh Street and filled the vape pods themselves before selling them to Vietnamese and foreign customers.

Some buyers allegedly resold the products, while others used them personally.

Previously reported missing

Photos released by Vietnamese police showed Oh handcuffed alongside the other suspects.

His family and friends had made online appeals on Jul. 23 after he went missing during a trip to Vietnam.

According to the posts, he left Singapore on Jul. 16 and was due to return two days later.

A police officer had his jail sentence increased for his role in the fatal abuse of a Myanmar domestic helper following a dismissal of his appeal by a High Court judge.

Kelvin Chelvam, 47, was previously sentenced to 10 years’ jail after being convicted over the fatal abuse of Piang Ngaih Don by his then-wife Gaiyathiri Murugayan and mother-in-law.

The charges included one count each of voluntarily causing hurt, abetting Gaiyathiri to voluntarily cause grievous hurt, giving false information to a police officer handling the case and causing evidence to disappear.

Chelvam had appealed against his convictions for abetment and causing evidence to disappear, as well as his sentences for all charges except the one for giving false information, CNA reported.

The judge dismissed all his appeals and instead allowed the prosecution's cross-appeal to increase the sentence for the charge of voluntarily causing hurt.

Chelvam’s sentence was ultimately raised to 11 years and six months in jail.

Gaiyathiri and her mother, Prema S Naraynasamy, are currently serving 30 years and 17 years in jail respectively for their roles in the case.

Fatal abuse

According to CNA, Chelvam was Piang's registered employer while Gaiyathiri oversaw her day-to-day work and welfare.

He had also signed the employment contract, which required that the helper be given at least three adequate meals a day among other terms.

Between 2015 and 2016, Piang endured almost 10 months of physical abuse at the hands of the family.

The 24-year-old finally succumbed after an assault in July 2016, having been starved by Gaiyathiri.

She weighed just 24kg at the time of her death.

A CCTV system installed in the flat captured 35 days of the abuse Piang endured leading up to her death.

The footage showed that Chelvam was present on multiple occasions while she was abused.

He later tried to obstruct investigations by disconnecting the CCTV recorder and lying to the police about its whereabouts, CNA reported.

Defence

In his defence, Chelvam's lawyer argued that his client did not know Piang had been "starved to the point that her life was in danger", CNA reported.

He pointed to evidence from a doctor who examined Piang in January and May 2016, saying the doctor did not think she appeared noticeably thinner between those visits.

The prosecution countered that the critical period was the final weeks of Piang's life, between June and July 2016.

The same doctor had testified that she was "extremely emaciated" at the time of her death, with "limbs resembling skin wrapping around bone".

Under cross-examination, Chelvam admitted he had noticed Piang's drastic weight loss, according to CNA.

The prosecution argued that Chelvam ultimately bore responsibility for ensuring Piang's basic needs were met, but abdicated that responsibility by leaving her care entirely to his ex-wife.

It also submitted that, as a police officer, Chelvam knew causing evidence to disappear was an offence but chose to participate anyway.

In seeking a heavier sentence for the voluntarily causing hurt charge, the prosecution disagreed with the trial judge's finding that it was an isolated incident.

Knowing about the sustained abuse but still choosing to assault Piang made Chelvam the third abuser, the prosecutor argued.

The judge dismissed Chelvam's appeals and upheld his convictions, finding no basis to overturn the trial judge's decision or conclude that the sentence was "manifestly excessive".

Chelvam was ordered to begin serving his sentence on Aug. 7 after the court granted his request to defer it by a week so he could spend time with his daughter.

A 55-year-old man was arrested within three hours for breaking into a temple and stealing cash from donation boxes.

​Arrested within three hours

On Jul. 31, the police were alerted at 4:06 am to a case of housebreaking, where a temple along Bedok North Avenue 3 was broken into, and cash worth S$390 was stolen from donation boxes.

Law enforcement conducted follow-up investigations and were able to establish the man’s identity with the aid of CCTV and police cameras.

He was subsequently arrested within three hours of the report.

The police were able to recover cash amounting to S$290.

They also believe the man is linked to two other unreported cases of housebreaking and theft at the same temple, where S$1,965 in cash was stolen.

A press release from the police stated that he will be charged on Aug. 1 with the offence of housebreaking and theft under Section 458A of the Penal Code 1871.

If found guilty, he will face imprisonment of up to 10 years, as well as possible caning or a fine.

Police advice

The police advise members of the public to secure openings such as doors and windows with good quality grilles and closed-shackle padlocks when leaving a premises unattended.

They also advise refraining from keeping large sums of cash or other valuables within the premises, as well as installing burglar alarms and CCTVs to cover access points.

Singapore's Institute of Policy Studies and World Scientific will bring out a new book on Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong's 20 years as Prime Minister on Sep. 8.

The book — a collection of 23 essays by Singapore's leading thinkers and policy practitioners on finance, economics, diplomacy, social policy, politics and society — will assess the leadership and legacy of SM Lee's tenure.

Contributors to the book included Former Managing Director of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, Ravi Menon, Manu Baskaran, and Tan Kong Yam, who examined Singapore's financial and economic sectors during SM Lee's tenure.

Assessing SM Lee's diplomatic contributions are Tommy Koh, Chan Heng Chee, and Bilahari Kausikan, former ambassadors and prominent voices on Singapore's diplomacy.

Pauline Tay Straughan examines Singapore's social policy under SM Lee, while Carol Soon, Cherian George, Han Fook Kwang, and Eugene Tan assess his impact on the country's politics and society.

It is edited by senior IPS research fellow Gillian Koh, former Straits Times opinion editor Chua Mui Hong, and Terence Ho, executive director and associate professor at the Institute of Adult Learning, Singapore University of Social Sciences.

Not a tribute volume

Koh, the book's lead editor, emphasised in a press release that it was not a “tribute volume.”

Contributors were urged to weigh up which of SM Lee’s leadership choices worked, and which didn't.

About two years after he'd stepped down in favour of Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, Koh said that the essays were a “timely examination” of SM Lee's contributions.

"Living through an era, we are often unaware of just how much things have changed until we pause to take stock," said Chua.

The essays, she said, trace the arc of social, political, and economic policies that have reshaped Singapore and were a study of adaptive leadership and governance that a small city-state needs.

The book, entitled “Lee Hsien Loong and Singapore”, will be launched on Sep. 8 and is published by World Scientific. It will be available at major bookstores and at the following link.

A 59-year-old woman died four months after suffering a cardiac arrest while recovering from heart surgery.

The cardiac arrest had left her with brain damage.

Her daughter has alleged that the hospital's failure to provide continuous cardiac monitoring delayed the detection of the cardiac arrest.

The hospital has denied any medical negligence, saying an internal review and independent experts found that the care provided met established medical and ethical standards.

Heart attack and surgery

According to Shin Min Daily News, Mo Jinying (transliteration) was admitted to Woodlands Hospital on Feb. 12, 2026, after suffering a heart attack caused by blocked coronary arteries.

Following surgery, she was to be discharged on Feb. 24.

Her daughter, Chen Yingxian (transliteration), said Mo sent her a voice message on Feb. 23 saying she was having difficulty breathing.

Doctors reportedly attributed the symptoms to her blood sugar levels and postponed her discharge.

The following morning, the family was informed that Mo had suffered a cardiac arrest.

Mo reportedly sustained brain damage.

Family questions monitoring arrangements

Chen said the hospital's report stated that because Mo's condition had initially been stable, her vital signs were monitored every four hours.

As a result, the hospital could not determine the exact time of the cardiac arrest, estimating only that it had occurred within a 29-minute window.

The family questioned why Mo was not placed on continuous cardiac monitoring, arguing that her cardiac arrest could have been detected sooner.

Family refused to withdraw life support

Chen said the hospital later diagnosed her mother as brain dead and advised the family to withdraw life support.

However, the family requested further CT and MRI scans, which they said showed that Mo was not brain dead but had suffered damage to her thalamus from oxygen deprivation.

Despite the hospital's recommendation to remove life support, the family chose to continue treatment, saying Mo could open her eyes, blink, and make simple responses.

Mo was admitted to and discharged from the intensive care unit several times before dying on Jun. 29 from a bacterial lung infection.

Chen said the family believes the outcome could have been different had continuous cardiac monitoring been used from the outset.

Hospital says no medical negligence found

Woodlands Hospital told Shin Min that it was deeply saddened by Mo's death and had extended its condolences to her family.

It said it had maintained regular communication with the family throughout Mo's hospitalisation, including holding several meetings attended by senior doctors, nursing supervisors, and hospital management, and providing written responses to their questions.

The hospital said it conducted an internal review of the family's concerns and sought opinions from independent clinical experts.

Both the review and the independent experts concluded that the medical team's care complied with established medical standards and ethical principles, and that there was no medical negligence.

The experts also supported the clinical treatment and medical decisions made during Mo's hospitalisation.

The hospital added that it remains in contact with the family and has invited them to participate in mediation.

A 20-year-old Singaporean student who was reported missing in Cambodia has been found safe, telling local authorities that she had cut off contact with her family due to emotional stress.

According to The Khmer Times, Siti Aishah Siregar Sahat Siregar had been staying in a condominium in Phnom Penh.

Emotional stress

Interior Ministry spokesperson Touch Sokhak shared on his Telegram channel on Jul. 31 that Aishah told officials she had travelled to Cambodia while under emotional distress.

She had switched off her phone to avoid being contacted by her guardians.

According to her, no criminal activity, including unlawful detention or kidnapping, had taken place.

She had arranged her accommodation through a Cambodian property agent before her arrival and was met at the airport by a local friend she'd made through online gaming, reported The Khmer Times.

After becoming anxious about her decision, Aishah contacted the Cambodian authorities to report that she had been reported missing.

In response to a Mothership query on Jul. 31, SPF expressed its appreciation to the Cambodian authorities for their prompt assistance.

The police added that it has reached out to the Cambodian National Police to obtain more information and to render further assistance as appropriate.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Singapore Embassy in Phnom Penh are also providing consular support to the woman's family.

Reportedly told her family she was going to school

The young woman was first reported missing when her father posted a notice on social media, appealing to the authorities in Singapore and Cambodia to find her.

According to him, Aishah was last known to have travelled from Singapore to Phnom Penh on Jul. 28.

A police report was made, the post noted.

It was later reported that Aishah had informed her mother that she was going to school at Nanyang Polytechnic as usual at around 11am the morning she went missing.

According to Berita Mediacorp, her brother said that the family was on their way to pick her up from school at about 5pm when they found that her phone number was no longer contactable and her WhatsApp account was no longer active.

They also found that Aishah's passport was not at home. The police subsequently confirmed that Aishah had already left Singapore via a flight.

When they tried to log into her email, they reportedly found a flight ticket booking to Cambodia and believed that she had flown off to Phnom Penh.

Will artificial intelligence (AI) take over my job?

It's a question that dominates conversations about jobs and the workforce today.

As the secretary-general of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), Ng Chee Meng has heard his fair share of anxieties about AI from workers.

But he has found that most Singaporeans, especially the younger generation, are "go-getters" who will continue to upgrade their skills.

Speaking to Mothership, he shared that he has been "very impressed" when working with youths.

He described them as passionate, creative, and "much more willing to dream and [be daring]", compared with his own "more conservative" generation.

"I have great confidence that we are able to energise and look at AI as new frontiers and possibilities," he said.

"Yes, there will be challenges, but can we overcome them? I'm confident we can."

Threat vs. enabler

Not every sector views AI as a threat, Ng pointed out.

In sectors "where there is growth and a dearth of labour", workers see the technology as more of an enabler.

He brought up healthcare as an example where professionals have mostly embraced AI to help them with routine tasks, such as planning their work shifts.

He has also spoken to people in aviation who are excited to find ways to use AI to improve productivity for themselves and for their company.

But turning to people from other industries, such as programmers and coders, the threat of AI is "very real", Ng said.

He candidly admitted NTUC is still exploring how to support workers in the tech sector and is monitoring the full impact of AI there, given how fast the sector has been evolving.

Redesigning jobs

To minimise the adverse impact of AI, Ng believes Singapore can encourage companies to take a different approach from those overseas.

Some companies in the West, he observed, are quick to lay off workers after embracing new technology.

But they would start hiring again in about a year, realising that they still need human talent.

"Instead of doing this kind of thing, why don't we discover that actually that may not be the best business model?" Ng questioned.

Thankfully, he said, Singapore is having better conversations to explore strategies that benefit both workers and companies.

NTUC has been looking at retraining workers and redesigning jobs in line with AI adoption.

That said, "NTUC doesn’t think for a second that we have all the answers", Ng caveated.

He explained that the union partners tech leaders such as Amazon Web Services and Huawei to build AI-driven business models and support companies in their digital transformation.

Providing a buffer

Ng has also spoken to people who were laid off, some of whom have struggled to put food on the table for their family.

Initiatives such as the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme aim to give these jobseekers a buffer, by providing financial support of up to S$6,000 over six months.

But in recent times, particularly with the rise of AI, it's no longer just blue-collar workers and younger PMEs (professionals, managers, and executives) who face job insecurity — mid-career professionals may be vulnerable as well.

This group, Ng explained, may have more dependants than others, with parents to support and children to educate.

In response to their anxieties and needs, Ng proposed in February that the government raise the income threshold for the scheme to the median income for PMEs, to better support those facing retrenchment.

If the proposal is accepted by the government, professional workers will "have that little bit of assurance". He hopes the scheme will let people know that support is there if they really need it.

"To know that [they] have something they can fall back on actually reduces anxiety tremendously," he said.

He also encouraged them to consider tapping into the NTUC Mentors Network, which has over 1,000 mentors who can share knowledge and career guidance.

"You don't have to go through this alone," he wants to tell these workers.

Supporting the PMEs of the future

Looking ahead, Ng believes Singapore is moving towards a PME-centric workforce that will see PMEs becoming the new working class.

"[It’s] no longer my father's generation, where it's blue-collar workers forming the bulk of the working class," he said.

"The new working class will be white-collar, in 10 years, latest 15 years."

This development means more protection is needed to address the concerns of the new PMEs, such as job security and training.

"I know PMEs, including myself when I was younger. We are well educated. We have a growing economy. We have [more jobs] than job seekers. Well, why should we worry, right?" he said.

"But in the next 10 to 15 years, the disruption [in the job market] may be a bit faster, may be a bit more challenging."

Through this transition, he aims to do his best to support and stand with the new PMEs to minimise the pains and maximise the gains.

Alluding to the first industrial revolution, Ng said that while humans benefited a lot from advancements such as the steam engine, some like the cotton weavers struggled during its transition.

As Singapore's labour chief, he is determined to look out for the cotton weavers of today's digital revolution.

"My role as secretary-general is to make sure whether you are blue collar or white collar, in this space of transition, whether it's 10 or 25 years, I want the most successful transition."

Postscript: This interview was done with NTUC Sec-Gen Ng Chee Meng, not Minister Ng Chee Meng. Yup, we didn't know.

We reached out to NTUC for additional comment, and they pointed us to Ng's statement on his Cabinet appointment: "As NTUC Secretary-General and a Cabinet Minister, I will continue to champion better wages, welfare and work prospects for workers. Being in Cabinet means I can work even more closely with the Government to support workers and Singapore's progress, alongside unions and employers."

Two members of British trip hop band Massive Attack have been issued warnings by the police and banned from re-entering Singapore, after displaying a Palestinian flag at their concert on Jul. 29.

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) said in a joint statement with police on Jul. 31 that they will also not grant any future application for performances by the band in Singapore in view of the entry ban.

IMDA is also investigating the possible breach of a number of licence conditions and will take necessary action upon conclusion of investigations, the authorities said.

This includes a condition that stipulates that there shall be no display of flags in support of any causes.

Displayed Palestine flag

It was earlier reported that police reports were lodged after the band was filmed holding up a Palestine flag on stage during their Singapore concert and shouting "Free Palestine" at The Star Performing Arts Centre on Wednesday, Jul. 29.

This was despite the organiser's prior acknowledgement of licence conditions, said IMDA.

A video on the Reddit forum showed members Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall holding up the flag at the end of the concert before leaving the stage.

The person who posted on Reddit also claimed that they tried to report the incident through the SGSecure app, but was unable to do so as the app apparently kept crashing.

The post also claimed that the crowd chanted "Free Palestine".

"The way I understood it was that he didn't care about any restrictions or consequences," the person who posted also wrote about the band.

Warnings issued

The police said that they administered "stern warnings" to both men for the offences of Section (3) of the Foreign National Emblems (Control of Display) Act 1949 and Section 16 of the Public Order Act.

Both men will also be banned from re-entering Singapore.

The police said: "We take a serious view of acts which could potentially harm the racial and religious harmony in Singapore and urge the public, including foreigners, to refrain from importing foreign politics as this can undermine our social cohesion and the rule of law."

"The peace and harmony between different races and religions in Singapore should not be taken for granted, and we must not let external events affect our society."

A company and its 49-year-old director were slated to be charged on Jul. 31 for allegedly being involved in providing flag registration services to a vessel transporting prohibited items from North Korea.

This was a contravention of the United Nations (Sanctions – Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) Regulations 2010 under the United Nations Act 2001.

On May 18, 2022, investigations by the Commercial Affairs Department (CAD) revealed that the company provided flag registration services in respect of the vessel PETREL 8.

The vessel had been designated by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Oct. 3, 2017 for transporting prohibited items from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

At the time of the offence, the director apparently had reasonable grounds to believe that PETREL 8 was a UNSC-designated vessel involved in transporting prohibited items from the DPRK when the flag registration services were provided.

The company will be charged with one count under Regulation 8D(d)(ii) of the United Nations (Sanctions – DPRK) Regulations 2010.

The company director will be charged with one count for abetting the company to commit the offence.

Penalties

Under the United Nations Act 2001, contravening these regulations carries a jail term of up to 10 years, a fine of up to S$500,000, or both for an individual.

For a company, the offence carries a fine of up to S$1 million.

The United Nations (Sanctions – DPRK) Regulations 2010 under the United Nations Act 2001 give effect to sanctions imposed by the UNSC on the DPRK to curb the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

This includes prohibitions against the provision of services for vessels where there are reasonable grounds to believe the vessels are or were involved in activities that support the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by the DPRK.

The police said Singapore takes its international obligations under UNSC Resolutions seriously and is committed to implementing them fully.

They added that they will not hesitate to take action against any individual or entity that breaches Singapore’s laws and regulations.