A Singaporean man, 24, had sex with a girl, 14, and said he would tell her parents he would marry her when she turned 18.

The man, now 26, was sentenced to 22 months' jail.

8world reported that he was sentenced on Jul. 13, 2026, after pleading guilty.

Court documents seen by Mothership stated that there is a gag order on their identities and the accused faced seven charges under the Children and Young Persons Act 1993, as well as the Penal Code 1871.

He pleaded guilty to three charges, with the remaining four were taken into consideration during sentencing.

Known each other from young age

The man had known the victim, now 16, from a young age and often spent time at her home to look after her and her siblings.

He also stayed overnight at her home on various occasions and the pair regularly communicated on Telegram.

They grew closer in 2024, where the girl developed romantic feelings for the accused in December 2024 as she felt that he listened to her when she had problems and gave her more attention than anybody else.

Confessed feelings

Sometime in mid-December 2024, the girl confessed to the accused over Telegram that she liked him, to which he asked what she liked about him.

She responded that she liked that he was there for her and listened to her, after which the accused apologised for leading her on by how nice and caring he was.

Court documents noted, however, that he told her a few days later that he similarly had romantic feelings for her.

By January 2025, the pair were then in a romantic relationship and the accused told the girl at some point that, when she turned 18 years old, he would tell her parents that he would marry her.

Inappropriate acts

The pair then engaged in consensual sexual activity on at least three occasions in January 2025 while at the girl's home.

Court documents stated that the first incident occurred that same month after they had confessed their feelings for each other, where they were watching a show in a room in the girl's home.

As the show they were watching included various intimate scenes, the accused felt aroused and kissed the girl on her forehead, after which she kissed him back on his cheek.

After asking her if he could kiss her body, she agreed and he committed an obscene act by touching her inappropriately.

On another occasion in the same month, he committed another obscene act and sexual act.

Another incident took place in the same month where the accused committed a sexual act while in a room at her home.

In addition, the accused also intentionally engaged in sexual communication with the girl between December 2024 and January 2025 for the purpose of obtaining sexual gratification.

Medical reports

Following the incidents, a medical report stated that the girl had been afraid to engage in sexual activity with the accused, but did not resist as she was afraid of destroying their relationship.

She also experienced guilt after his offences as she blamed herself for "starting this".

A doctor also said the girl could be diagnosed as having an adjustment disorder.

The medical report additionally noted that the girl's mother observed her becoming more emotional and breaking down frequently as she was reminded about the accused's offences.

Based on a separate medical report, the girl showed symptoms consistent with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

The report also noted that the girl experienced nightmares, intrusive memories and flashbacks of the accused's offences, as well as heart palpitations, shivers running down her spine, feeling sad and crying when she was reminded of his offences.

In addition, the girl avoided being at home as much as possible since that was the location of the accused's offences.

She also reported getting angry easily with family members, and had difficulties paying attention in class due to intrusive memories and flashbacks of the accused's offences.

The medical report noted that the girl would also check for strangers who stood or walked too close to her in public areas as she feared being harmed by them.

'Serious sexual offences': Prosecution

According to court documents, the prosecution sought a total sentence of 23 to 27 months' jail, stating that the accused's serious sexual offences against the girl must be met with a firm response.

The prosecution also did not object to the sentence being backdated to Nov. 4, 2025, to cover the accused's remand period.

He was first arrested on Feb. 8, 2025, and first produced in court on Nov. 4, 2025.

A surfer has taken to Instagram to call out Scoot, claiming that two of her surfboards were broken in half during a flight from China to Thailand.

The surfer, whose name is Huang Yushan, claimed the airline refused to compensate her because she had signed a limited release tag.

Surfer took Scoot flight to Phuket

Huang told Mothership she travelled on Scoot flight TR119 from Haikou, Hainan, to Phuket on Jul. 9.

The Chinese national said she declared her surfboards as oversized sports equipment at Scoot's check-in counter at Haikou Airport, and paid the required oversized baggage fee.

Huang added that she also requested the airline to label the surfboard bag as “fragile” before it was sent to the cargo hold.

Before checking in, she was asked to sign a Limited Release Tag.

According to Scoot, a Limited Release Tag is issued for baggage accepted on a "limited release" basis, meaning it is carried entirely at the passenger's own risk for damage or delay and is not eligible for damaged or delayed baggage claims.

Claimed that surfboards were fully protected in padded bag

Huang told Mothership that her surfboards were “fully protected inside a thick, padded professional hard-surf travel bag designed for air travel”.

She added that she wrapped them with “extra foam padding at nose and tail” as well to absorb impact.

However, after collecting her oversized baggage at Phuket International Airport, Huang said she discovered that both surfboards had been "cleanly snapped into two separate halves".

She claimed the boards, worth around S$3,645, were completely destroyed and beyond repair.

Airline declined to provide compensation

Huang said she immediately reported the damage to Scoot's baggage service counter at Phuket International Airport.

According to her, airport staff issued a Property Irregularity Report (PIR), with the damage classified as "Major".

However, she claimed the ground staff declined to provide compensation.

According to Huang, staff cited two reasons:

• She had signed the Limited Release Tag at check-in, meaning Scoot would not be liable for any damage.
• She had indicated on the PIR form that she would be claiming through her personal travel insurance.

Therefore, Scoot staff allegedly insisted that she should resolve all losses on her own.

Experience left Huang 'angry & helpless'

Huang said that she then submitted a formal compensation claim to Scoot's baggage department the following day. She also submitted a claim through Scoot's online portal and sent feedback to the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS).

She added that the damaged surfboards disrupted her travel plans in Phuket and Indonesia, causing her financial loss.

"I am extremely angry and helpless with this whole experience. Violent baggage handling that breaks surfboards in half is never a normal travel risk, and the airline must take full responsibility for its staff's negligence.”

Scoot apologises for 'inconvenience caused'

In response to Mothership's queries, a Scoot spokesperson said the airline is aware of Huang's feedback regarding the damage to her surfboards and sincerely apologised for the inconvenience caused.

They declined to provide more details on the case, citing an ongoing investigation, saying only that the airline’s customer service team has been in touch with Huang to “provide assistance”.

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Karlie Huang (@karlie_huang33)

A 69-year-old man in China's Hunan province apparently had his nose bitten off while trying to stop another man from allegedly assaulting a woman in public.

The injured man has since been hailed as a hero for his bravery.

Zeng Fanlin was among a list of individuals recognised by the Central Political and Legal Affairs Commission in the second quarter of 2026, the Shenzhen Evening News reported.

Woman assaulted

The incident occurred in a village in April 2026.

A man allegedly caused trouble there suddenly.

His actions included assaulting a woman in public and strangling her, according to 8world.

Upon witnessing this, Zeng immediately intervened and tried to stop him.

Bit off nose

However, the assailant bit Zeng's nose during the struggle, tearing off a chunk of flesh, finance.sina.com reported.

Zeng refused to let go despite the pain and held the suspect until police arrived, with other villagers joining in to help subdue the assailant.

8world reported that the assailant continued to struggle before biting off Zeng's nose and swallowing it.

According to thepaper.cn, the villagers then tied the assailant's feet and managed to subdue him, after which the police arrived and took him into custody.

Almost lost consciousness

Zeng said he initially did not feel anything.

He told local reporters on Apr. 27 that it was only when someone told him about his injury that he touched his nose and realised almost all of it was gone.

Noting that the pain intensified and the bleeding would not stop, Zeng said: "When I got to the hospital, I was in so much pain that I almost lost consciousness."

He was found to have extensive soft tissue loss, which made his injury complex and required significant reconstructive operations.

The Shenzhen Evening News reported that following a detailed treatment plan developed by a hospital, Zeng has since completed the second phase of surgery, with an expected six-month full recovery period.

A 64-year-old Singaporean woman was left with just 12 cents in her bank account after her eldest son allegedly fell victim to a phishing scam while trying to sell a watch on the online marketplace Carousell.

Listed watch on Carousell

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, the woman, surnamed Jiang (transliteration), said her son had listed a watch for sale on Carousell for S$50.

On Jul. 9, a prospective buyer contacted him on to express interest in the item, and the pair later exchanged phone numbers and continued their conversation on WhatsApp.

They agreed on the sale two days later on Jul. 11.

Sent an email with a link

According to Jiang, her son had initially requested payment via cash or PayNow.

However, the buyer insisted on making payment through Carousell instead.

Wanting to complete the transaction quickly, her son agreed and the buyer subsequently sent him a payment link via email.

Jiang said her son clicked on the link without suspecting it was fraudulent.

The webpage closely resembled Carousell's interface, displaying photos and prices of the watches her son had listed, as well as what appeared to be the buyer's personal information.

The buyer allegedly instructed him to click "Receive Payment" and enter his bank account details.

"As my son's bank account was temporarily unavailable, he entered my bank account information instead and asked me for the one-time password," Jiang said.

After keying in the one-time password, her son asked her if she had received the S$50 payment.

Instead, Jiang discovered that S$4,600 had been transferred out of her bank account.

"After receiving an notification from the bank, I immediately called them, but the money had already been transferred out," she said. "The bank subsequently advised us to make a police report."

The following day, Jiang revisited the same link and found that it had become a scam website.

She said the fraudulent transaction wiped out her savings, leaving her with just 12 cents.

For now, Jiang said she has to borrow from relatives and friends to cover her daily expenses, as well as rely on her company's earnings.

Although her son had fallen victim to the scam, Jiang said she did not blame him entirely, believing he had simply been eager to complete the sale.

She hopes that by sharing her experience, others will be more cautious and avoid clicking on links sent by strangers.

In response to queries from Shin Min, the police confirmed that a report has been lodged and investigations are ongoing.

Financial struggles

Jiang told Shin Min that her husband died suddenly three years ago, leaving her to take over the family's car repair business.

Only then did she learn that the business had been operating at a loss for years and had accumulated substantial debt.

"For the past few years, I've been constantly juggling funds to repay debts, borrowing from one place to cover another. As a result, the company's finances have remained in the red for a long time," she said.

She also alleged that while reviewing the company's accounts, she learnt that the company's accountant, who was responsible for its finances, had misappropriated tens of thousands of dollars in company funds by transferring the money into her own bank account under the pretext of paying salaries.

Despite this, Jiang said she ultimately chose not to file a police report because the accountant also had a family to take care of.

Instead, she asked the woman to sign an IOU and repay the money in monthly instalments.

Jiang added that her eldest son has a criminal record and has struggled to secure stable employment, while her younger son has declared bankruptcy and is currently unemployed.

She is also caring for a grandson with autism and said she is the family's sole breadwinner.

The S$4,600 lost in the phishing scam represented all of her personal savings, leaving her under mounting financial pressure as she continues to support her family and repay debts.

To ease the burden, Jiang said she has put her five-room HDB flat in Telok Blangah up for sale.

"I hope to cash out and move to a smaller home to ease some of the financial burden," she said.

A father in Malaysia with end-stage cancer had his final wish fulfilled on Jul. 11 after it was revealed that he could pass away at any time.

His wish was to take his three young children to Bangi Wonderland, a water theme park in Malaysia, so they could take a memorable photo together.

His children are aged between three and eight years old.

According to a Facebook post from Jul. 9, the man's doctors reached out to Malaysian social activist Chee Heng Kuan, also known as Uncle Kentang, who was told of the man's dying wish.

In his post, Uncle Kentang shared how “it is an honour for (them) to bring the dying father for (his) last outing,” and that he wanted to “give him smiles before God (takes) him away forever.”

The social activist called for a videographer or photographer to help capture moments of the event.

He noted that the father was very weak and required a wheelchair.

He also needed to have oxygen on standby during the outing. However, a Do-Not-Resuscitate (DNR) order had also been issued.

Rest in peace

Around two days after the outing, Uncle Kentang shared on his Facebook page that the man had passed away after returning home from the water park.

Sending his condolences, Uncle Kentang also shared that he was glad the father managed to bring his children to Bangi Wonderland before he passed away.

Homegrown supermarket chain Sheng Siong broke ground on Monday, Jul. 13, on a new integrated headquarters and distribution centre in Sungei Kadut.

The group says this is its largest investment to date, at approximately S$520 million.

The seven-storey facility will span more than 61,000 square metres, about 2.5 times the size of its current warehouse at Mandai Link, and is expected to be completed in 2029.

When it opens, it will be able to support more than 120 stores across Singapore. Sheng Siong currently runs 90 outlets islandwide.

Robots and automation, but no job cuts

The new facility will be kitted out with automated storage and retrieval systems, robotics, intelligent warehouse management technology and multi-temperature storage zones.

Sheng Siong CEO Lim Hock Chee told The Business Times (BT) that the group had studied warehousing and automation solutions in Europe, China and Australia before designing the facility.

"When completed, it will be one of the most advanced automated grocery distribution centres in Southeast Asia," Lim said.

But he was quick to add that the technology isn't meant to replace anyone.

"Machines can help us improve efficiency, but people will always remain at the heart of our company," Lim told BT.

Instead, Sheng Siong plans to retrain workers in manual and warehouse roles to move into higher-value positions like system operators and maintenance technicians.

Beyond its own workforce, Sheng Siong said in its press release that it hopes the facility will serve as a platform for shared learning, allowing suppliers, industry peers and other organisations to gain practical insights into warehouse automation and the business practices that have supported the group's growth.

Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, who attended the ground-breaking ceremony, said automation would "free manpower from repetitive and manual tasks", allowing staff to be redeployed where they add more value, per BT.

Why this matters for your grocery bill

Gan noted that keeping food prices affordable has become harder amid geopolitical tensions, climate change, higher energy costs and global supply chain disruptions.

According to BT, Singapore imports about 90 per cent of its food, making it particularly exposed to these pressures.

The bigger warehouse will let Sheng Siong procure goods at greater scale and plan inventory further ahead, which the company says could support more stable product availability and value for customers.

Gan told BT: “This forward-looking approach is what keeps businesses competitive and keeps Singapore vibrant and resilient. Together, we can ensure Singaporeans continue to enjoy a wide variety of food at affordable prices."

A 19-year-old student in Shanghai has drawn widespread attention online after setting up a notarised will leaving his entire personal estate, worth 20 million yuan (S$3.8 million), to his childhood friend rather than his parents.

According to South China Morning Post (SCMP), the teenager, surnamed Li, owns a flat and savings worth millions of yuan, both given to him by his parents following their divorce and remarriage.

Why he chose his friend over his parents

Li said that his parents are both remarried and have not spent much time with him, leaving him feeling distant from them.

He is also an extreme sports enthusiast who regularly puts himself at risk, and said he did not want his parents' new spouses, whom he regards as strangers, to potentially inherit his property if something were to happen to him.

He chose his childhood friend, someone he trusts and grew up with, as his beneficiary instead.

How the will works

Li notarised his will at the China Will Registration Centre's office in Shanghai.

According to office manager Huang Haibo, Li's childhood friend has 60 days to legally accept the will. Failing to do so would be considered a forfeiture of the right to inherit.

Under China's Law of Succession, a person's spouse, children, and parents are the first in line to inherit.

However, the law also allows individuals to bequeath their personal property to people outside this group through a will.

A growing trend among young people

Huang told SCMP that making wills is becoming increasingly common among younger generations in China.

He said: "An increasing number of people born in the 1980s, 90s and after 2000 have set up wills with us. Making wills is no longer a taboo, or just for the elderly."

According to the centre's most recent annual report, over 400,000 wills have been registered with them.

The police are looking for a man to assist with investigations into an incident in Sengkang.

The incident was reported at Compass One Shopping Centre on May 28, 2026, at about 3:32pm, Sengkang Neighbourhood Police Centre said in a Facebook post on Jul. 13.

The nature of the incident was not disclosed.

Anyone with information is requested to call the police hotline at 1800-2550000 or submit the information online at www.police.gov.sg/iwitness.

All information will be kept strictly confidential, the police said.

A woman said she confronted a man taking photos of her at Caldecott MRT station, but was subsequently informed that no crime had been committed.

She has decided to speak about the incident as she believes that the man had photographed other women before.

The woman, who only wanted to be identified as Lianne, told Mothership that the incident took place on Jun. 23 at around 5:20pm on the Circle Line platform at Caldecott MRT station.

She noticed a man there and he appeared to have taken photos of her body without her consent.

She confronted him before he could leave.

He denied it, until the photos were found

When confronted initially, the man apparently denied taking any photos of her.

It was only after SMRT staff intervened and asked to check his phone that multiple photos of Lianne were found inside a photo album on his device.

She said: "I saw approximately six to seven photos of other women in his photo album. They were located just above the photos he had taken of me. From what I saw, they all appeared to be full-body shots of women who seemed completely unaware that their pictures had been taken."

After the photos were discovered, the man apparently changed his explanation, claiming that the photos were "accidental" and insisting he had done nothing wrong since they were not explicit in nature.

He allegedly asked SMRT staff whether he would be "blacklisted”, and also said he was "in a rush to go home”, and asked to settle the matter privately with Lianne instead.

SMRT staff detained him

Lianne said she approached the passenger service centre at the MRT station to report the matter.

The station staff contacted the police.

The staff stayed with the woman and the man until officers arrived.

Lianne: "The SMRT staff were extremely helpful and immediately detained him. They brought him into a room while waiting for the TransCom police to arrive and take both his statement and mine."

She later learnt that he was released and allowed to go home using public transport.

Not an offence

Lianne lodged a police report and was given a case card with the investigating officer's details.

However, TransCom officers at the scene apparently informed her that there was apparently no case.

In response, Lianne said: "I struggled to understand how, despite CCTV footage and multiple full-body photos of me being found on his phone, the situation could still be viewed as 'no offence' as of now due to a lack of evidence."

"My concern is that when this kind of behaviour is brushed aside, it can send the message that such conduct is acceptable and discourage others from speaking up," she added.

Why she's speaking up

Lianne added that she hopes that by sharing her experience, other women who may have noticed that they were photographed by the same man will come forward.

She said: "Today, it was 'just some photos'. But just because a photo isn't explicit doesn't mean it was welcome. No one should have to minimise their discomfort just because others don't see it as a big deal."

She added: "If someone is secretly taking photos of you and it makes you uncomfortable, trust that feeling. You don't owe anyone an explanation for protecting your boundaries. Even if nothing immediate comes from it, coming forward could help protect someone else and let others know that they are not alone."

What lawyers say

It is typically not against the law in Singapore to take videos or photographs of another person in public without their consent, CNA reported in September 2023, citing lawyers' opinions on the matter.

But it crosses the line when the footage is taken in a private place, such as in a bathroom or a changing room, or when they are engaged in a private act, such as showering, changing, using the toilet or breastfeeding.

The lawyers also advised that there is the option to file a Magistrate's Complaint if a case is not taken further for investigation or prosecution after a police report was made.

However, the person feeling aggrieved does not have the right to demand personal identification documents from the other party, or prevent them from leaving the scene.

A Housing and Development Board (HDB) block at Telok Blangah Crescent has been affected by a persistent foul odour for nearly a year, prompting some residents to install fans and burn incense outside their homes in an attempt to mask the smell.

A woman, surnamed Wang (transliteration), told Shin Min Daily News that she has lived at the block for over a decade and has always gotten along well with her neighbours.

However, about a year ago, after an elderly woman and her two adult sons moved into a unit on the 11th floor, Wang said she began to notice a strong smell of urine and faeces coming from the flat.

Persistent smell

Speaking to Shin Min, Wang said the elderly woman is frail and remains at home most of the time, while her sons take turns caring for her, working different shifts.

She said she believes the elderly woman suffers from incontinence, resulting in the persistent urine smell.

"Even when they keep the doors and windows closed on weekdays, we can still smell it," she said. "On weekends, when the doors and windows are open, the smell becomes even stronger."

Wang added that she is unable to communicate directly with the neighbours as she does not speak English.

As such, she resorted to placing a fan outside her home to blow the smell away and has recently begun burning incense in the corridor.

"Sometimes I have to switch on the fan as early as 5am, otherwise the smell drifts over. The fan runs almost all day, so my electricity bill has also increased as a result," she said.

She said she had previously reported the matter to the authorities and that volunteers had visited the unit to assess the situation, but no solution had been reached.

While acknowledging that the elderly woman’s sons were trying to care for their mother, Wang said she hoped they would consider placing her in a nursing home where she could receive professional care.

Another neighbour also told Shin Min that her family had also been affected by the odour.

"To avoid the smell, we have to keep our doors and windows shut every day," she said.

She added that whenever the neighbouring unit opened its doors or windows, the smell would spread into the corridor.

Even closing her own doors and windows did little to keep it out, she added.

At times, she said, she had to resort to wearing a face mask to sleep.

Assistance had been arranged

Speaking to Shin Min, one of the elderly woman’s sons said they had been contacted by several organisations and that assistance had been arranged to help clean the unit in the coming days.

He added that he was aware that neighbours had lodged complaints, but noted that none had approached him directly.

He said he hoped that residents would speak to him in person should similar issues arise in the future.

He added that since he and his brother were still able to care for their mother, they had not considered placing her in a nursing home.

Situation had improved recently

When Shin Min visited the block, it noted that the foul odour was still noticeable along the corridor outside, though an air freshener was placed near the window of the unit.

Residents living on the 12th and 13th floors told Shin Min that while they had previously noticed the smell, they believed it had eased significantly in recent weeks.

One resident on the 13th floor said he first noticed the smell about two months ago.

Initially, he said he thought the smell was coming from his own toilet, but later realised it was coming from a unit downstairs.

"The smell isn’t constant. Sometimes they switch on the air-conditioning, and you can’t smell it," he said. "But once the doors and windows are opened, the smell spreads."

Another resident said that officers from relevant agencies had previously visited the unit to help with cleaning and that the odour had improved noticeably in recent weeks.

"We’re all neighbours. The smell isn’t so severe that it disrupts our daily lives. We should all be understanding of one another," he said.