A snake was caught by a Mandai Wildlife Reserve staff in a reptile exhibit at the Singapore Zoo on Aug. 23, as seen in a video circulating online.

The Instagram user who posted the video wrote, "POV: when you're about to step in the reptile exhibition but you heard a visitor told a staff there's a snake outside. My heart skipped a beat."

In response to Mothership's response, a spokesperson from Mandai Wildlife Group shared that it was a wild, non-venomous snake known as a painted bronzeback — a species native to Singapore.

It was not part of the animal population in the Group's care.

The capture

"Guests spotted the snake and alerted our staff, who responded promptly," the spokesperson added.

In the video of the capture, a long, slender snake can be seen slithering along the edge of a glass animal enclosure.

Two staff members were at the scene. One, wearing blue protective gloves, appeared to have a hold of part of the snake's body, while the other employee stood beside her.

Several people, appearing to be visitors, watched from nearby.

Once they had caught the snake, both staff members walked away calmly.

The Mandai Wildlife Group spokesperson said that snakes are generally harmless if left undisturbed, and will typically move away on their own when given room.

In this case, the snake was small and moving fast, so it was at risk of injury in a crowded indoor area, they said.

"Our trained staff safely captured the snake while keeping guests at a safe distance. It was later released back into the wild."

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'Let wildlife be'

The spokesperson explained that all the wildlife parks at the Mandai Wildlife Reserve are home not only to the animals under their care, but also to a diverse range of native wildlife that naturally inhabit the surrounding landscape.

Mandai Wildlife Group has protocols in place for wildlife sightings across its parks, the spokesperson assured.

"For everyone’s safety and the well-being of the animal, the best course of action is to let wildlife be and allow it to retreat in its own time," they said.

However, where an animal seems unable to retreat on its own, including situations where it is trapped or in distress, the staff are trained to step in and assist.

UPDATE on Aug. 27, 3:30pm: This article has been updated to reflect the latest developments.

A total of nine Singaporeans were reported missing after devastating flash floods swept through Nepal's border region with Tibet on Aug. 26.

In an official situation update posted on Nepal Tourism Board’s website on Aug. 27, the board said a preliminary agency-wise record received from trekking and travel companies had identified 644 travellers reported missing from affected areas.

Nine of those reported missing are Singaporeans.

"The information is being verified and cross-checked with travel agencies, guides, local authorities and security agencies," the board said.

Local authorities are also working to verify the whereabouts and safety of the missing tourists, it added.

"All efforts are under way to rescue/evacuate the injured and stranded people."

Earlier, two Singaporeans were reported to be among 47 people who remain unaccounted for after the flash floods struck the border region.

According to The Straits Times, the managing director of the tour company, Himalayan Glacier, told AFP that the two Singaporeans were travelling with the group when floods struck.

The group comprises 15 Australians, 10 Canadians, nine Nepalese, eight Americans, two Britons, two Singaporeans, and one Russian-American dual citizen. Two of the total 47 people are children.

Flash floods

According to BBC, at least 160 people have died and hundreds remain missing after devastating flash floods swept through Nepal’s northern border region with Tibet on Aug. 26.

As of the time of writing, the death roll has reportedly risen to 162.

In a statement on Aug. 27, 64 bodies were found in downstream areas in the Chitwan district and another 26 in Nawalparasi East, police said.

28 police officers are also among those still unaccounted for.

In a report by CNA, more than 400 foreigners were among 579 tourists reported missing by the authorities in Nepal.

Chinese state broadcaster CCTV also reported that the tally of missing in Tibet's Gyirong county was 558, of which 260 are foreign nationals.

It is unclear if the figures of the two nations overlapped.

Video footage

Security camera footage from the Nepal-China border area showed a massive wall of water and debris rushing through the area, with people seen running to escape the surge.

BREAKING: At least 380 people missing after flash flood hits near Nepal-Tibet border pic.twitter.com/iCRpXJaBAe

— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) August 26, 2026

Another video circulating online showed passengers inside a bus as floodwaters swept through the surrounding areas.

@nbcnewsVideo shows passengers in a bus in Nepal left terrified as flash floods swept through the area. Hundreds are missing following the devastating floods, including 2 Americans.♬ original sound - nbcnews

In another video, workers could be seen running uphill as a large wave of flood water approached.

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A post shared by Vivek Shrestha (@vivek357155)

Suspected cause of the floods

According to CNN, shaking in the region was initially reported by the US Geological Survey as a 4.4 magnitude earthquake along the Nepal-China border, north of Kathmandu.

At around the same time, what was described as an "avalanche" of ice and rock tore down a mountainside and into the Lhende Khola River, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi River, which flows from China into Nepal through deep gorges.

While the cause of the Nepal flood wave remains to be determined, a team of international scientists believes a huge chunk of glacier sheared off and fell into the valley below.

A Filipino woman, who allegedly travelled to Cambodia for a job but found herself in a scam compound, was sentenced to 25 months' jail on Aug. 24 for being part of a syndicate and a conspiracy to cheat people in Singapore.

According to CNA, the judge said the prosecution had proven its case against De Villar Rizalyn Panganiban, 35, and that she had not been coerced and forced into committing the offences.

Although De Villar faced some restrictions while in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, she had a substantial degree of freedom and could have left the premises or sought help, the judge added.

De Villar was one of 12 people charged in September 2025 after the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Cambodian National Police disrupted the syndicate in a cross-border operation.

Several Singaporeans and Malaysians were among those charged.

De Villar was the first to stand trial.

Friend allegedly offered her a job overseas

According to CNA, De Villar said a friend had offered her a job in Cambodia with a monthly salary of US$1,500 (about S$1,905).

In late March 2025, she travelled to Cambodia via Malaysia.

Her passport was taken from her and she was driven to a call centre, where she was given a script.

CNA reported her lawyers arguing that De Villar had limited knowledge of Singapore. She denied knowing where Singapore was and said she believed it was in China.

The defence also highlighted that she had never previously travelled outside the Philippines.

However, the prosecution pointed out that she was aware of references to Singapore, and she was also instructed to speak with a Singaporean accent.

The judge said De Villar did not need to know Singapore's geographical location, its status as an independent country, or other characteristics for the charge to be made out.

Instead, the prosecution only had to establish that she knew Singapore was a particular locality or place.

Not shown to be a syndicate member: Defence

The defence argued that De Villar had not been shown to be a member of the syndicate.

Her lawyers argued that simply being present at the compound was insufficient to establish that she was a member.

According to The Straits Times (ST), the prosecution said she had joined the group for financial gain, but accepted she had not successfully scammed any victims because she had failed a test set by the syndicate.

According to CNA, the prosecution said De Villar had undergone training and received money while at the compound.

The judge accepted that the evidence was sufficient to establish her membership.

Although De Villar did not have her passport, she had access to her phone and could have sought help or attempted to leave, said the judge.

Additionally, while she did not pass the test, she participated in activities assigned to her, including training and being part of a chat group.

Prosecution sought at least 27 months' jail

According to ST, the prosecution sought a sentence of at least 27 months' jail for De Villar, describing the syndicate as sophisticated and successful.

They pointed out that they were still having difficulties apprehending high-level members of the syndicate.

According to CNA, within a year of its operations, the syndicate was linked to at least 528 reported scam cases involving losses of S$52.5 million.

The defence sought a sentence of no more than 15 months' jail and asked for a sentencing discount in recognition of De Villar's cooperation with the authorities.

Her lawyer also disputed the prosecution's reliance on the S$52.5 million loss figure, describing it as "nothing more than hearsay" based on the word of the investigating officer.

For being a member of an organised criminal group, De Villar could have been jailed for a maximum of five years, fined up to S$100,000, or both.

For conspiracy to cheat, she could have been jailed for up to 10 years and fined.

A South Korean police officer, who has been implicated after four people reported missing ​on Jeju were found dead over three days, was confronted outside the police station by family of those involved.

A video of the confrontation has made the rounds online.

A Jeju police officer was arrested today for deliberately shutting down missing-person cases — not one or two, but roughly 298 of them. He told families their loved ones were safe, then quietly deleted the cases from the missing-persons system.

The case cracked open because of… pic.twitter.com/1MjHz6MqoS

— ViiV (@ViiV_333) August 25, 2026

Confrontation occurred when police officer was apparently temporarily released

The officer had been taken into custody on Saturday, Aug. 22, reported Korea Times.

This was after the body of a man in his 60s, who had been reported missing, was found that day.

The officer, identified as Sergeant Boo, petitioned the court to review the legality of his arrest, according to Korea Joongang Daily.

He was then released on Monday, Aug. 24, after the court granted his release appeal.

Sergeant Boo was allegedly confronted by the family of those involved.

One person shouted: "Hey, say something!"

They could be seen questioning him and laying their hands on him, as officers at the scene intervened.

One person, who had been held back, eventually broke free and even chased after the car that Sergeant Boo boarded.

The alleged rogue police officer was subsequently detained again a day later.

A court detained the officer on Tuesday, Aug. 25 on suspicion of dereliction of duty, falsifying official electronic records and ​obstructing official duties, Yonhap News Agency reported, according to Reuters.

The officer denied the charges and said he contacted the missing people, the report said, citing a ‌police official.

Jeju is one of South Korea's most popular tourist destinations.

It drew 1.2 million foreign visitors in the first half of 2026, according to the Jeju Tourism Association.

Dead bodies surfaced

The second body, belonging to a man in his 70s, was discovered on Sunday, Aug. 23.

The third and fourth bodies were discovered on Monday, Aug. 24.

The fourth body was that of a woman, 37, who was reported missing 104 days earlier.

Her skeletal remains were apparently found in a hanging position.

Two cases linked to police officer

The four cases of bodies being found are unrelated.

Thus far, the only link is that the same officer allegedly closed two of the cases without confirmation that the missing persons were safe.

The allegations have prompted police to ​review all 298 missing person reports handled by Officer Boo.

About 10 are being examined for possible improper closure, South Korea media reported.

Apologies

The acting national police commissioner Yoo Jae-seong has since apologised, reported Reuters.

On Aug. 26, Interior and Safety Minister Yun Ho-jung also apologised to the bereaved families and the public.

Yun and senior police officials stood and bowed in apology, pledging thorough measures to prevent a recurrence.

A Singaporean man, who made a total of 1,035 silent calls to various police centres within a month, was sentenced to 23 days' jail.

Foo Jia Hong, 37, said he made the calls for fun and enjoyment, according to court documents.

On Aug. 26, he pleaded guilty to one charge of voluntarily obstructing officers at Yishun Neighbourhood Police Centre from carrying out their public duties.

Three other similar charges were taken into consideration for sentencing.

Used a stolen SIM card

Between Apr. 21 and 23, Foo made 425 calls to the Yishun Neighbourhood Police Centre using an unknown number, remaining completely silent during the calls.

An officer at the police centre lodged a police report on Aug. 25.

Investigations revealed that the unknown number Foo used was linked to a SIM card registered in the name of a foreign worker.

Upon questioning, the foreign worker claimed that he had thrown the SIM card away.

Foo admitted that he had found the SIM card inside a second-hand phone cover he bought at a pasar malam in Ang Mo Kio around early February 2026.

He then did a search and learnt that the SIM card services were cheap and came with substantial call time and data, so he decided to use it.

He would top up the SIM card using his EZ-Link card to continue using the services, including to call the police.

More silent calls

Foo also made more silent calls using an unknown number to three other neighbourhood police centres (NPCs) between Apr. 21 and 29.

The one in Bedok received 308 calls, Geylang's received 278, and Ang Mo Kio's received 24.

Foo later admitted that he had obtained the phones numbers of these police centres from their call directories or leaflets.

Out of the 425 calls that the Yishun Neighbourhood Police Centre received, 330 were answered by officers while the remaining were not picked up.

According to the prosecution, the unanswered calls also resulted in obstruction to the phone lines of the affected police centres as any subsequent phone calls will be put on hold in a queue, preventing other calls from being promptly answered.

Sentencing

After Foo was arrested on May 11, he was remanded at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for psychiatric assessment.

The prosecution, who sought a jail sentence of three to five weeks, noted that Foo has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and mild intellectual disability.

However, they added that the IMH found no contributory link between his conditions and the offences.

In court, the prosecution also highlighted that Foo had a previous conviction in January 2025 for the communication of false messages, but did not elaborate, CNA reported.

Foo's lawyer urged a more lenient sentence of two weeks' jail, arguing that calling the NPCs was not equivalent to calling the 999 emergency hotline.

In sentencing, the judge explained that the court had to consider the fact that Foo has mild intellectual disability, while the foremost sentencing consideration was deterrence.

A 29-year-old man was arrested for driving under the influence of drugs following a traffic accident along the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) on Aug. 25.

Video shows two men struggling on the expressway

In a TikTok video posted on Aug. 25, two men could be seen struggling at the road shoulder along the BKE.

One man appeared to be restraining the other.

The man being restrained could be seen grabbing onto a bridge railing at the side and attempting to pull the other man away before throwing an object over the bridge.

According to the TikTok user's caption, the man had earlier crashed into a Mercedes along the expressway.

The driver of the Mercedes, who provided the user with the dashcam footage, said he noticed that the other driver was "shaking violently with slurred speech" when he approached him after the accident.

The driver also allegedly attempted to flee after realising that the Mercedes driver had called the police.

The Mercedes driver then restrained him to prevent him from leaving, according to the TikTok user.

The Mercedes driver also claimed that the object thrown from the bridge was a Kpod.

In a separate video of almost five minutes posted by the same TikTok user, a black Mazda could be seen swerving between lanes while travelling along the BKE.

The user said the Mazda driver was the same man seen throwing the alleged Kpod over the bridge.

Several motorists appeared to avoid the Mazda as it veered into different lanes and came close to other vehicles.

The video concluded after the Mazda moved into the left-most lane before exiting onto Turf Club Avenue.

@justplay.productionIncident in BKE. 5.45pm 25/08/26. According to party, driver suspected of kp and causing accident. Suspect thrown away kp over bridge. Driver pin down the suspect till SCDF/SPF arrived.

♬ original sound - JustPlayProduction

Driver arrested

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force confirmed it was alerted to a road traffic accident along BKE towards the Pan Island Expressway (PIE).

It assessed one person for minor injuries, but the person declined to be sent to the hospital.

Separately, the police said they were alerted to an accident involving two cars at around 5:35pm that day.

A 29-year-old male car driver was arrested for driving while under the influence of drugs.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Five minutes to clear immigration was apparently enough to convince a tourist that Singapore is "one of the most efficient countries" he's ever seen in his life.

TikTok user @therealpercius praised Singapore’s efficiency in a 47-second video shared on Aug. 16, comparing his experience here with previous trips to other countries in Asia.

He said immigration took him “a couple of hours” when he visited China and about an hour when he went to South Korea.

In Singapore, however, it took just five minutes.

Strong impression

The tourist, who was travelling with a Spanish passport, said Singapore’s efficiency was apparent beyond the immigration counter.

He praised the MRT system for being “quick, non-delayed” and clean, and also complimented the service he received in Singapore, clearly very different from his experience in Europe.

“Europe...just start taking notes,” he said, claiming that Europe is "more than 20 years behind"

Online sentiments

Some TikTok users agreed with his assessment, pointing to Singapore’s buses as another example, with one commenter noting that commuters can use apps or Google Maps to check when their buses are arriving.

Others joked that Singaporeans may be so used to the country's efficiency that they only realise how good they have it when travelling overseas.

@therealpercius Absolutely INSANE. LOVE THIS COUNTRY! #fyp #singapore #traveltok #weekinmylife ♬ original sound - Percius

Elon Musk, the world's richest man, responded to a post on X about Singapore's push to stymie or reverse the falling 0.87 total fertility rate (TFR).

The post by user XFreeze on X highlighted the measures laid out by Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Aug. 23 during the 2026 National Day Rally aimed at tackling the fertility crisis.

It mentioned the S$70,000 direct financial support for each Singaporean from birth to age 17, as well as upping childcare leave and more chances of securing a build-to-order (BTO) flat for first-time families.

A clip of PM Wong speaking at NDR was also included.

XFreeze wrote: "Singapore just went all in on birth rates."

"That’s not just a dip. That’s a whole country nowhere near replacing itself. It's a massive problem for the country," XFreeze added.

Singapore just went all in on birth rates

Fertility fell to a record-low 0.87 in 2025. Birth rates have fallen seriously low

That’s not just a dip. That’s a whole country nowhere near replacing itself. It's a massive problem for the country

So Singapore is going directly after…

— X Freeze (@XFreeze) August 24, 2026

In response to the post, Musk wrote: "Humans are disappearing."

Humans are disappearing https://t.co/KkSQ2WKKyI

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 24, 2026

Musk's views on population collapse

Musk has repeatedly mentioned that he believes people on Earth are at risk of a sudden "population collapse".

He has attributed his belief to falling birth rates, saying it is the single biggest existential threat to human civilisation.

He has even said that declining birth rates pose a much higher risk to the future than global warming.

He frequently highlights countries such as China, India, and the United States that have fertility rates below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman.

Demographers have disagreed with his view and have labelled Musk's projection as an alarmist take on the future.

For example, as evidence that Musk could be exaggerating, United Nations reports project the total global population to be growing and will peak near 10 billion later this century before any major decline.

However, Musk has been practising what he preaches.

The billionaire/ trillionaire has fathered a large family himself, viewing children as a way to secure a positive legacy for the future.

He has 14 children with four women.

The Wall Street Journal reported in April 2025 on how Musk approached different women with offers to have his children.

Singapore's next phase of growth cannot come from using more land, adding more workers, or emitting more carbon, said Minister for Trade and Industry (Energy and Industry) Tan See Leng.

Instead, it must come from scouring around the world and creating more value from what the country has, he went on.

"That means raising productivity [and] moving into more innovative and higher value-added activities."

He was speaking at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) Economic Dialogue 2026 on Aug. 26 about Singapore's economic strategy in today's changing world.

He pointed out that the foundations of Singapore's economy must evolve along with global changes.

The conditions for staying open have become more difficult, and the country also faces domestic constraints in terms of land scarcity, an ageing population, and the shift away from carbon.

"Singapore's next phase of growth will be harder won," Tan said.

"But if all of us...remain clear-eyed about our constraints, remain deliberate and purpose-driven about where we can create value, and...disciplined in how we make choices and adapt, we can continue to build not just a competitive and resilient economy — we will build a thriving economy that will always create good jobs...with hope and opportunities for Singapore and Singaporeans."

Greater value at home

Tan highlighted three main changes proposed by the Economic Strategy Review's report released in June 2026.

The first is to sharpen Singapore's value proposition — being more deliberate about where Singapore can create the most value, and build capabilities that are hard to replicate elsewhere.

In the advanced manufacturing and services sector, this means going beyond attracting investments, Tan pointed out.

He said Singapore also needs to anchor higher-value capabilities such as research and development (R&D), regional leadership, and deep talent pipelines. These will make Singapore integral to how goods and services are developed globally.

"The deeper these activities are rooted here and intermeshed here, the greater their potential to generate wider benefits for all of us and also the economy."

For example, they can provide opportunities for Singaporeans to move into higher value-added roles, and enable local firms to plug into global supply chains and build new capabilities.

At the same time, Singapore must build new sources of growth, Tan continued.

This can be done by investing early in emerging areas where Singapore has a credible right to play, such as quantum, space, and decarbonisation technologies.

"We want Singapore to be valuable not just because goods, people, capital, and energy pass through us," Tan said.

Rather, it should also be valuable because important decisions are made here, and these activities in turn create opportunities and capabilities for Singaporeans and our companies.

Greater agility and adaptability

The second change is to enhance Singapore's agility and adaptability when circumstances change.

It means creating an environment where new companies and ideas can emerge, and promising companies can scale. Workers also need to improve their skills to take on redesigned and new jobs.

"We recognise that AI and automation may allow firms to produce more with fewer workers," Tan said.

"As such, we can no longer assume that growth will automatically create the same number, the same type, or the same range of jobs as before."

But Singapore will seek to keep AI adoption human-centric, by encouraging AI that complements workers, and providing early support for workers.

Greater resilience alongside efficiency

Lastly, Tan emphasised the importance of striking a balance between resilience and efficiency.

"Maximising efficiency alone can leave us with little room to manoeuvre when shocks and externalities happen," he said.

He said that Singapore needs to strengthen resilience by diversifying and building appropriate buffers in areas such as energy and critical supply chains. It should also deepen partnerships to keep vital flows open, especially during periods of disruption.

At the same time, buffering against every conceivable risk would be costly and impractical, Tan cautioned.

Thus, Singapore will need to make difficult choices under uncertainty to reach a good balance.

"As the choices become harder, the trade-offs will become more stark," he said. "We have to refine...polish ourselves and hone ourselves to become better at making them."

Addressing the budding economists in the audience at the MTI Economic Dialogue, he said that although the questions posed to them will become harder, the data and tools they will get to address these questions will, at the same time, get richer and more powerful.

He looked forward to their contributions to help Singapore make better policy decisions.

Two Chinese nationals, a 25-year-old woman and a 33-year-old man, were charged with allegedly engaging in a conspiracy to counterfeit Singapore currency notes.

Yang Zelong, 33, and Han Wenqian, 25, were charged on Aug. 26, The Straits Times reported.

On Aug. 24, at about 3:50am, the police received a report that Yang had attempted to change a counterfeit S$100 note at Marina Bay Sands Casino.

Officers from the Central Police Division and Commercial Affairs Department attended to the case.

Preliminary investigations revealed that Yang allegedly handed over S$150,000 to the cage cashier and asked the cashier to deposit the amount into his casino account.

Upon counting the cash, the cage cashier apparently discovered that one Singapore S$100 note had the word “COPY” printed on it, and promptly reported the case.

Leave with a printer

Police officers subsequently escorted Yang to his hotel room, where they saw Han leave with a printer.

A search was conducted.

A total of 121 counterfeit S$100 notes were found in her possession.

During the search at the hotel room, officers also uncovered counterfeiting instruments including a bottle of ink, paper, and a paper cutter, which were subsequently seized as case exhibits.

For forging or counterfeiting currency or bank notes, offenders are liable to a jail term of up to 20 years, and a fine.

For using as genuine counterfeit currency or bank notes, offenders are liable to a jail term of up to 20 years, and a fine.

For possession of forged or counterfeit currency or bank notes, offenders are liable to a jail term of up to 15 years, and a fine.

For making or possessing instruments or materials for forging or counterfeiting currency or bank notes, offenders are liable to a jail term of up to 20 years, and a fine.

The police advised members of the public who receive any suspected counterfeit money to call the police at "999" immediately.

They should also note down the description of the person who presented the counterfeit note.

This includes the gender, race, age, height, build, clothing, tattoos, and language or dialect spoken.

Those who receive suspected counterfeit currency are to limit handling of the suspected counterfeit note and place it in a protective covering, such as an envelope or folded paper to prevent further tampering, before handing it over to the police.