The police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of 13-year-old Kylie Tan Le Tian.

She was last seen wearing a dark blue top and dark blue skirt in the vicinity of 10 Tanjong Rhu Road on Aug. 17 at about 7:30am, which is the address of Dunman High School.

Anyone with information is requested to call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.

All information will be kept strictly confidential.

74-year-old Ya Ni (transliterated) was an ethnically Indian woman, but before she passed away from pneumonia on the week of Aug. 10, she instructed her family to send her off in accordance with Chinese funeral rites.

At the wake, younger generations were dressed in blue and green pants to differentiate their generations and knelt before the altar as per Taoist customs.

Grew up in Chinese village

According to Shin Min Daily News, the Singaporean woman grew up in a predominantly Chinese village.

She was the third child and eldest daughter of seven children.

Three generations of her family spoke Mandarin and Hokkien.

Her father had migrated from India while her mother hailed from Malaya, and the family settled in Sembawang.

Indian rituals preserved

Ya Ni's wake was held at Block 109, Yishun Ring Road, according to Shin Min.

Chinese rituals were adhered to, including the preparation of a spirit house to be burned.

Indian cultural rites were also preserved, such as the placing of a bindi on the deceased's portrait by her son.

According to Ya Ni's sister, who spoke in Hokkien and Mandarin, their family was the only Indian family in the village growing up, and as such had to learn to communicate in Hokkien.

They celebrated both Deepavali and Chinese New Year, even receiving red packets during the latter.

While their father originally spoke in Malayalam, an Indian language, he learnt Hokkien from his wife, who spoke the dialect authentically.

The elder woman similarly had a Chinese-Taoist funeral when she passed in 2003.

When one of Ya Ni's brothers passed away in 1998, the same was prepared for him.

Of the seven siblings and their spouses, two in-laws are ethnically Chinese.

Ya Ni's husband also started speaking in Hokkien after marriage.

According to their children, they spoke in the dialect to their maternal grandmother from a young age, but never learnt their maternal grandfather's native Malayalam.

Ya Ni had reportedly requested one of her brothers, who works in the funeral industry, to prepare her funeral in accordance to Hokkien customs before her death, according to her sister.

The Singapore Police Force approved 92 applications to extend liquor trading hours to 4am (the following day) on all Thursday and Friday nights within the Clarke Quay Conservation Area, Boat Quay Historic District and Upper Circular Road area.

In an Aug. 17 joint press release by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of National Development and the Ministry of Home Affairs, this was the result of a one-year pilot of revitalisation measures introduced on Aug. 18, 2025.

Following encouraging results and strong interest from businesses, the government will formalise the measures with effect from Aug. 18, 2026.

In a doorstop on Aug. 17, Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of National Development, Alvin Tan, said, “We think that these measures will help our tourism and nightlife offerings become more attractive. It will support business vibrancy and also create good jobs in the sector.”

“As we know, both Boat Quay and Clarke Quay behind me are prominent waterfront destinations for both locals and tourists alike.”

Revitalisation measures

According to the press release, the Boat Quay Historic District and Clarke Quay Conservation Area, both located within the historic Singapore River precinct, play an important role in Singapore’s lifestyle landscape.

The revitalisation measures in the area are as follows:

1. Allowing new Change of Use applications for new bars, pubs and nightclubs within the Boat Quay Historic District along the Boat Quay Waterfront, Circular Road, Lorong Telok and Canton Street, with approved proposals granted Temporary Permission for up to three years,
2. Extension of liquor trading hours to 4am (the following day) on all Thursday and Friday nights,
3. Resumption of road closures at Circular Road for events and pedestrian-friendly activities.

Results of pilot

Between August 2025 and June 2026, the Urban Redevelopment Authority has approved 37 applications for new nightlife uses in the Boat Quay Historic District where new applications can be considered.

The press release noted that the law-and-order situation in the precinct has remained stable throughout the pilot with support from local stakeholders in stepping up security patrols.

Businesses may continue to apply for the relevant approvals, such as Change of Use applications and extended liquor trading hours after the formalisation of revitalisation measures.

"The Government will continue to work with local stakeholders to facilitate nightlife vibrancy in the Boat Quay Historic District and neighbouring areas," added the press release.

"The respective agencies will continue to work with local stakeholders on security measures to ensure law and order as well as responsible management of the nightlife spaces and public areas at these locations."

UPDATE on Aug. 17, 5:25pm: The article has been updated with SPF's statement.

A boy allegedly placed an "Out of Order" sign on a vending machine at E!Hub at Downtown East, potentially affecting sales from the machine, said the business's owner.

CCTV footage

In an Instagram post on Aug. 16, Press On Me (POM), a business selling press-on nails, lashes and jewellery, shared CCTV footage of the incident.

In the video, a boy wearing glasses can be seen approaching the vending machine while holding a piece of paper.

He then appears to paste the paper onto the machine’s LCD screen at the side.

Speaking to Mothership, POM said the incident took place at around 9pm on Aug. 8.

According to the business, another person was with the boy at the time.

The pair approached the vending machine together, with the boy placing what appeared to be a pre-printed "Out of Order" sign on the machine’s screen, POM said.

"We do not know the boy or the other person with him, and we still do not know why they did this."

The business added that the machine was functioning normally at the time and that no one had been authorised to put up the sign.

Sign discovered about three days later

POM said it discovered the sign on Aug. 11, about three days after it was placed on the machine.

The team happened to be in the area and decided to check on the machine, it said.

"We usually replenish [the stock] about once every two weeks, so otherwise the sign could have remained there much longer," POM said.

The business said it subsequently informed the management of Downtown East, which reviewed the mall’s CCTV footage and confirmed the incident.

POM said it was concerned that the sign may have affected sales, particularly as the incident occurred over the National Day long weekend.

"It happened over the National Day long weekend, so there would have been an impact on sales opportunities, although we cannot accurately determine how many customers saw the sign and walked away."

Despite this, POM said its bigger concern was that the incident appeared deliberate and could potentially happen again or escalate into damage to the machine.

POM added that it has since lodged a police report.

In response to Mothership's queries, the police confirm that a report was lodged and are looking into the matter.

Impact on small businesses

POM said the incident also highlighted the potential impact of what may appear to be a "harmless prank" on small businesses.

"With the current market conditions, businesses are already facing a challenging environment and everyone is working hard just to sustain sales," it said. "For an unmanned vending business, simply putting up an ‘Out of Order’ sign can quietly stop customers from purchasing for days without the owner even knowing."

It added that it was fortunate that the team checked the machine on Aug. 11, as it could otherwise have taken much longer to discover the sign.

POM said it hoped sharing the incident would raise awareness about the consequences of such acts.

"Every sale matters to businesses, especially in the current climate, and we hope people can be more considerate and respectful of others’ livelihoods."

Primary Six students preparing for their Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) will be able to redeem a free breakfast bundle worth more than S$25 from select Cheers and Fairprice Xpress outlets from Sep. 3 to 6.

The "Cheers Breakfast Club" initiative, organised by FairPrice Group's philanthropic arm FairPrice Foundation, was similarly held last year.

12,000 breakfast bundles will be made available for redemption at 51 participating Cheers and FairPrice Xpress outlets islandwide starting Sep. 3 at 1pm.

Redemption will also be available from Sep. 4 to 6 during operating hours.

See the full list of participating outlets here.

The bundles include FairPrice instant oatmeal, Brand's essence of chicken, Ayam tuna flakes in olive oil, Oatside original oatmilk, Milo ActivGo UHT, Nestlé Koko Krunch cereal, Lotus biscoff original, and Africa fuji apples.

According to FairPrice Group, over 2,600 bundles have also been set aside for Primary Six student beneficiaries from community self-help groups, including the Chinese Development Assistance Council, Eurasian Association, Yayasan MENDAKI and Singapore Indian Development Association.

To redeem the breakfast bundle, students will have to present their student card or PSLE slip.

Parents may also redeem on their child's behalf by presenting their child's student card or a physical or electronic examination slip.

The redemption is limited to one bundle per student.

Redemption is on first-come, first-served basis and while stocks last.

A 32-year-old Singaporean woman was fined S$11,400 for attempting to bring jewellery purchased overseas into Singapore without declaration and fraudulently evading Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Nabilah Binte Jaafar Al-Kathiri pleaded guilty to one charge of fraudulent evasion of GST and was fined on Aug. 5.

The court ordered the forfeiture of 19 pieces of jewellery and other case exhibits, including bags and boxes used in the commission of the offence.

The jewellery was valued at about S$10,512, and the GST evaded amounted to about S$946.

On Apr. 5, 2026, Nabilah arrived in Singapore as a passenger in a Malaysia-registered vehicle at Woodlands Checkpoint.

She falsely told Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers that she had nothing to declare, even though she knew GST was payable on the jewellery she brought into Singapore.

During checks on the vehicle, ICA officers discovered 23 pieces of jewellery belonging to Nabilah, comprising 21 pieces of gold jewellery and two pieces of titanium jewellery, packed in 22 parcels inside a polymer bag in the boot of the vehicle.

The case was referred to Singapore Customs for investigation, and she was arrested.

Authorities seized all 23 pieces of jewellery.

Investigations revealed that Nabilah resided in Malaysia and ran an online business selling gold and titanium jewellery to customers in Singapore.

She advertised her goods on platforms such as Facebook and Telegram, and sourced the

jewellery from various shops in Malaysia before bringing them into Singapore for delivery to her customers.

Out of the 23 pieces of jewellery seized, 19 were intended for commercial sale for profit.

The remaining pieces of jewellery were intended as personal gifts.

Under the Customs Act 1960 and the GST Act 1993, fraudulent evasion of duty or GST is a serious offence.

Nabilah could have been fined up to 20 times the amount of duty and GST evaded and jailed for up to 12 months.

Singapore Customs advised travellers to declare and pay their duties and/ or GST through the Customs@SG web application or at the checkpoints.

Members of the public with information on smuggling activities or evasion of duty or GST are advised to report it to customs at https://go.gov.sg/reportcustomsoffence.

Traffic police were seen chasing a group of cyclists who took up three lanes along West Coast Highway in the early hours of Aug. 15.

The incident was caught on camera.

Some of the cyclists were seen pedalling harder rather than slowing down when enforcement officers signalled for them to pull over.

The incident happened at around 1am along the stretch of West Coast Highway near the McDonald's at West Coast Park, according to Lianhe Zaobao.

What the video shows

Footage uploaded to TikTok showed the cyclists riding across three lanes.

@lawenforcementlanjiao

time to run…

♬ Mafia Music - Slowed V1 - Orheyn

None of them were seen wearing helmets.

Two officers on motorcycles were seen sounding their sirens and flashing their red and blue beacon lights and signalling for the group to stop.

One officer overtook the cyclists and rode ahead of them, while another tailed the group from behind, in an attempt to box them in.

Some of the cyclists did not stop, and even picked up pace.

"They did not stop"

The witness who filmed the video told Zaobao that the cyclists were all teenagers.

He had been in a car park near West Coast Highway at the time.

He then heard sirens and then saw the group riding past on the road.

He said: "The enforcement officers kept flashing their lights at them, signalling for them to stop. Instead of stopping, they continued riding, and some of them managed to get away."

The video did not show whether any of the cyclists were eventually stopped.

But the witness said about five or six of the cyclists were eventually blocked, and only stopped once they realised they could not get away.

What the rules say

Land Transport Authority (LTA) rules and code of conduct state that cyclists are to wear helmets while cycling on the roads and to keep left as practicable as possible.

They should also allow traffic to overtake them safely.

While cycling in groups, cyclists should keep to a maximum length of five cyclists in a single file or 10 cyclists if riding two abreast.

A "religious influencer" who sexually abused two young boys at mosque premises was sentenced to 27 years 10 months' jail and 24 strokes of the cane, CNA reported.

The victims are brothers whose parents were absent from their lives.

After becoming a father figure to them, the man raped the younger boy at least 10 times when the boy was six to eight years old. He later molested the older boy on several occasions when the boy was 11 to 12 years old.

The incidents, which happened between 2022 and 2023, made the boys suicidal and traumatised to this day.

The man, a 37-year-old Singaporean, was married at the time of the offences.

According to a psychiatric report following his arrest, the man was assessed to have paedophilic disorder, but this was not a contributory link to his alleged offences.

Previous offence

According to court documents, at the time of the offences, the man was running a TikTok account where he made short videos mainly about the Islamic religion.

Prior to meeting the victims, he was arrested in 2021 for molesting another boy, who was 17 at the time. He had acted as a "big brother" and a religious mentor to this victim.

He was released on bail the day of his arrest.

Becoming the boys' father figure

Later in April 2022, the man got acquainted with the two brothers after the older brother introduced himself to the man at a mosque, having recognised him from the man's TikTok account.

As they grew close, the boy confided in the accused about his parents, who were divorced.

The boys' father abandoned them in 2016, while their mother was serving time in a drug rehabilitation centre from 2021 to 2023. During this time, the boys stayed with their maternal grandmother, who took care of them.

The grandmother, noticing the closeness between the older brother and the man, asked to meet the man at their house to assess him.

After meeting him and seeing his TikTok videos, she found him to be "very religious" and decided to trust him. He started sending the older boy to school every day.

Over time, the man also grew close to the younger brother, and would spend time with him alone.

He brought the boy to the mosque to pray, played with him, fetched him from school, and brought him out to eat.

At some point, he told the grandmother that he would like to be a father figure and a religious guide to the two brothers, highlighting their absent parents and the fact that he did not have children himself.

Trusting him, she allowed them to meet more regularly.

Since then, the two brothers treated the man as a godfather and called him "Daddy". The man, in turn, treated them like his own children and addressed them as his "sons".

Offences involving the younger boy

The man raped the younger boy between 2022 and 2023, when the boy was between six and eight.

The boy told the man he was scared to be alone while using the toilet at the mosque, and asked the man to accompany him.

After doing so, the man developed an urge to rape the boy and devised a plan to do that in his house.

One day at his house, the man told the boy he would give him a toy gun if he got into a "prayer position" on the sofa.

When the boy did so, the man then asked him to remove his pants if he wanted the toy gun. The boy complied, and the man raped him.

Later, he told the boy they were just "having fun", and said not to tell anyone about what happened, or that would mean that he did not "love Daddy and Daddy [would] go to jail".

The boy replied that he would keep the incident a secret, as he was afraid the man would scold him.

The man went on to rape the boy again on several occasions, including in a toilet in a mosque after a religious class the man conducted.

According to court documents, the man specifically chose to do these sexual acts in the mosque toilet as he liked the excitement of doing so in public.

During a number of these sexual offences, the man gave the boy presents such as toy guns, toy helicopters, and toy pistols as a reward after the act. He also told him the rape was his way of "punishing" the boy for being "naughty".

Offences involving the older boy

In early 2024, the man molested the older brother on several occasions at a staircase landing near the grandmother's house, when the boy was between 11 and 12.

In the first instance, the boy refused to meet the man but relented when he insisted.

After two occasions, the man texted the boy pointing out the boy's reaction to the touching, and humiliated him into keeping silent about what happened.

He asked the boy to keep the incident a secret as "Daddy loves [you]". He added that if the boy did not do so, he was being selfish, and the man would then be forced to "share everything" he knew about the boy.

Arrest

The man's offences were discovered in April 2024 by the boys' mother and the mother's godbrother.

The boy had told their mother and her godbrother what the man did to them, and they confronted the man.

He initially denied sexually assaulting the boys, claiming to suffer from erectile dysfunction, and feigned shock when the older boy recounted the assault.

When the boys' mother continued to question the man, he eventually confessed, but claimed he had committed the assaults under the "control" of a "djinn" (a supernatural spirit based on Islamic theology). He said he found himself naked with the younger boy when the "djinn" left his body.

The wife of the mother's godbrother called the police, who arrested the man that day.

Impact on the victims

As a result of the sexual assaults, the two brothers developed suicidal thoughts and had trouble trusting people.

The younger boy did harm himself by punching his head and hitting his head against the wall.

He had nightmares about the incidents, and at times believed that nobody cared about him.

He also blamed and grew to hate his older brother for being the one who was first acquainted with the man, and as a result felt an occasional urge to hurt the older brother.

The older brother blamed himself for what happened to his younger brother as he was the one who had brought the man into their family.

The two brothers, who used to be close, thus grew apart.

Sentencing

The prosecution sought a jail sentence of 26 years and five months to 28 years and 11 months, along with 24 strokes of the cane.

They argued that the man was a clinically diagnosed paedophile "who hid beneath a religious façade to get close to two minors", then abused his position as their father figure by sexually abusing them.

According to the psychiatric report, he poses a moderate risk of reoffending.

"To the two boys, the accused appeared as a well-known man of faith who promised to be a religious guide to them," the prosecution said.

"Little did they know that beneath his religious cloak stood a paedophile. They did not know that he would rob them of their innocence, self-worth and dignity.

Years after their realisation, they now face the excruciating task of piecing themselves back together."

MUIS's response

A spokesperson of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) strongly condemned the offences involving youth victims at mosque premises, in an Aug. 17 statement.

The accused is not a mosque staff member or volunteer, nor is he an asatizah accredited under the Asatizah Recognition Scheme (ARS).

The MUIS spokesperson emphasised that the safety of mosque visitors is paramount.

"Our mosques must always be safe and trusted spaces, especially for our children and young people," they said.

In response to this case, MUIS will enhance mosque safety by strengthening existing security measures, including patrols and CCTV monitoring.

At the same time, safeguarding extends beyond the mosque premises as more religious engagement takes place online.

The spokesperson reminded parents, mosque leaders, asatizah, and the wider community that they have an important role in helping youths recognise trusted sources, navigate online interactions safely, and speak up when something does not seem right.

Whether online or in person, Muslims are also encouraged to seek guidance from ARS-accredited asatizah, who meet recognised standards of training and professional conduct.

ARS accreditation can be verified the online ARS directory on the MUIS website.

"Individuals who appear or present themselves as religious should not automatically be regarded as qualified religious teachers," the spokesperson said.

A woman in Singapore was taking a smoke break near her office in Chinatown when she saw a man allegedly touching himself inappropriately in public.

She confronted the man, who apparently continued the act before walking away.

The woman spotted him again 30 minutes later and eventually called the police.

In response to Mothership's queries, the police confirmed that a 59-year-old man was arrested for committing an obscene act in a public place at Upper Cross Street.

The police said they received a call for assistance at about 4:40pm on Aug. 15.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Touching himself inappropriately

The woman, Cheryl Goh, posted on Facebook that she originally thought the man was "feeling hot and shaking his shirt to cool down".

She took a while to realise that the man was touching himself inappropriately.

"I shouted at him, and while I was shouting, he was still shaking. So I took out my phone to take a picture so I could make a police report," she wrote.

However, the man walked away while she was shouting after him.

Afterwards, she took a moment to calm down before deciding that she would go and look for him again.

Goh told Mothership she found the man 30 minutes later, walking across the bridge at Hong Lim Market.

"I really shouldn't have let him walk away the first time. I managed to catch him afterwards, and honestly, it really feels like luck that I happened to spot him again," she said.

In her Facebook post, Goh said she and a female colleague ran up to restrain the man and called the police.

Made comments about her body

While Goh was confronting him, the man allegedly apologised and said he was drunk.

However, he allegedly continued to make comments about her body and started staring at different parts of her body, Goh wrote.

He also scolded vulgarities at her, she added.

The police eventually arrived to arrest him.

Unnecessary comments online

Reflecting on her posts that went viral, Goh said she is grateful for the many supportive comments on both Facebook and Instagram.

However, there were unnecessary comments about her looks and body, Goh said.

"Those comments completely miss the point. What matters is that he was committing an indecent act, and it would still be wrong whether he did it beside an older woman, a young girl, or anyone else," she said.

"I’m just a normal 34-year-old mother who believes that this kind of behaviour shouldn’t be ignored. I did what I felt was right — caught him and handed him over to the police."

Members of the public will no longer need to pay 10 cents to use the hawker centre toilets at Bendemeer and Whampoa.

In a Facebook post on Aug. 16, Jalan Besar GRC Member of Parliament (MP) Shawn Loh announced that after a two-month trial, the toilets at the two food centres were free to use.

“It may be a small change, but it makes our hawker centres a little more convenient and welcoming for everyone,” the caption read.

He added that “it means a lot” to senior citizens and hopes “it encourages more to come out to our community spaces”.

Loh also sought “everyone’s kindness and cooperation” to keep the toilets clean and “pleasant for all to use”.

“A clean and conducive environment is a shared responsibility, and every little effort counts,” the caption added.

The town council will also “step up cleaning” at the premises.