Indonesia has yet to take up neighbouring countries' offers of assistance to tackle the forest fires that have spread thick haze across the region because it believes it is still capable of managing the situation.

That is why it has not declared the forest and land fires a national disaster, which would require accepting foreign assistance, said Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Dudung Abdurachman on Oct. 19.

"For now, we are still capable. Our country is still able," he underscored after a ministerial-level meeting, as quoted by Kompas.

Just a few days earlier, on Oct. 15, Indonesian Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir shared that President Prabowo Subianto had approved foreign assistance, and the technical arrangements were being processed.

Singapore and Malaysia have both made offers to help combat the blazes.

At a press conference on the haze on Oct. 16, Singapore's Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu reiterated that Singapore is "prepared to provide assistance that Indonesia thinks is suitable".

That includes civilian firefighting assistance and cloud-seeding support.

At that point in time, she had yet to hear back from Indonesia's environment minister about these offers.

Constraints to consider

Dudung also explained that accepting foreign assistance would involve several challenges on the ground.

He said the government must consider technical constraints in the field, including fuel distribution.

"It is not simply about having equipment, personnel, and assistance, but for now, we are still able," he said.

Welcomes assistance

Also speaking after another meeting on Oct. 19, Dudung said that the Indonesian government welcomes help from neighbouring countries, Kompas reported.

He acknowledged Malaysia's proposal to send three aircraft and 52 personnel to support firefighting efforts, adding that they are "welcome to do so".

He also went on to say that support from Singapore was currently being coordinated through the head of Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency.

On Indonesia's own part, the government has deployed 47 aircraft and 60,000 personnel, and ordered a boost in aerial operational capabilities to tackle the fires.

On Oct. 19, Singapore's Senior Minister K Shanmugam praised the efforts taken by Prabowo and his administration to tackle the haze problem.

Speaking at a media doorstop, SM Shanmugam expressed appreciation for the Indonesian president's commitment, including to prioritise fire prevention as a long-term solution.

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Singapore and Qatar plan to upgrade their bilateral ties to a Strategic Partnership, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in an Oct. 19 statement.

It added that both countries agreed to work towards elevating relations in a meeting on the same day with both countries' ministers and senior officials in attendance.

Co-chaired meeting

This comes amid Singapore's Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Lawrence Wong's official visits to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from Oct. 18 to 22.

On Oct. 19 in Doha, PM Wong and Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar and its head of state, co-chaired the High-Level Joint Committee's (HLJC) ninth meeting.

This marked the first time that the HLJC was co-chaired by the leaders of both countries in its 20-year history, with both leaders reaffirming the warm and longstanding relations between Singapore and Qatar, the MFA statement added.

At the meeting, the leaders of both countries welcomed the continued growth of bilateral cooperation in areas including trade and investment, energy, and defence, both nations' HLJC said in a joint post-meeting statement.

The statement added that Qatar will become Singapore's second Strategic Partner in the Middle East, with the other being Saudi Arabia.

AI, defence

At the meeting, the leaders welcomed the growing cooperation in artificial intelligence (AI), digitalisation, and emerging technologies.

They also encouraged cooperation among government agencies, research institutions, academia, and the private sector in AI, digital government, cybersecurity, data, innovation, research and development, and emerging technologies.

LNG

According to the joint statement, the leaders welcomed the renewal of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between QatarEnergy and the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry of Singapore on Cooperation in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Low-Carbon Technology.

"The MOU underscores both sides' commitment to facilitating stable LNG procurement supply chains and energy security, especially in light of recent market developments," the statement read.

Concern over Middle East situation

At the meeting, the leaders also expressed serious concern over the situation in the Middle East, the HLJC statement noted.

They commended Qatar's sustained diplomatic efforts to facilitate dialogue and de-escalation in the region, emphasising the importance of upholding navigational rights and freedoms in accordance with international law, in particular the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

It ensures that international shipping, including in the Strait of Hormuz, remains open, safe and secure.

Small states

After arriving in Doha on Oct. 18, PM Wong met Qatar's Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, who hosted him to an official dinner.

On Oct. 19, Emir Sheikh Tamim received PM Wong at Doha's Royal Court, welcoming him with a ceremony and hosting him to lunch.

PM Wong had visited the Qatar Foundation that morning, where he met Vice Chairperson Sheikha Hind Bint Hamad Al Thani and exchanged views on education, research and innovation.

In an Oct. 19 Facebook post, PM Wong said that as "Singapore prepares to chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2027, we look forward to deepening ASEAN–Qatar ties, as well as strengthening cooperation between ASEAN and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)".

He noted that "Singapore and Qatar are both small states navigating an increasingly troubled world".

"We share a strong interest in keeping our economies open, strengthening our resilience, and building a more secure and prosperous future for our peoples," he said.

"His Highness last visited Singapore in 2017, and I look forward to welcoming him back soon!"

The leaders had agreed to convene the 10th HLJC meeting in Singapore at a mutually convenient time, which the joint statement said was to be determined through diplomatic channels.

PM Wong will depart Qatar for the UAE on Oct. 20 for the second leg of his official visits.

A 42-year-old man has been charged for allegedly using an electronic device to illegally obtain customers’ bank card information at a retail establishment along Syed Alwi Road.

Liu Xi, a Chinese national, was detained by security guards after he was seen moving suspiciously.

Used electronic device

In a press release, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said they were alerted to the incident on Oct. 18 after security officers detained the man for his suspicious behaviour.

Investigations revealed that the man had been moving around the shop suspiciously while carrying a bag containing an electronic device.

He was allegedly seen standing close to other customers and holding his bag near customers' pockets containing their wallets.

Security officers subsequently detained him, and he was taken by officers from the Central Police Division.

An electronic device, two power banks, a mobile phone and several bank cards were found in his possession and seized as case exhibits.

If found guilty, Liu faces up to three years’ jail, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.

The police reminded members of the public to remain vigilant and safeguard their personal information, including bank card details, against unauthorised access or collection.

A kindergarten operator in China has been sentenced to life imprisonment for violating national food safety regulations.

Li Huifang instructed kitchen staff to add inedible paint to food to enhance its colour and entice children to eat it, Lianhe Zaobao reported.

In July 2025, 233 children at the kindergarten were found to have lead poisoning, prompting an investigation into the incident at Heshi Peixin Kindergarten in Tianshui, Gansu Province.

Lead poisoning

Food samples from the kindergarten were found to contain lead at levels up to 2,000 times higher than China’s national food safety limit, according to the BBC.

Investigators found that the red date cakes and corn sausage rolls contained 1,052mg/kg and 1,340mg/kg of lead, respectively, far exceeding the national food safety limit of 0.5mg/kg, BBC reported.

It was also found that dozens of provincial officials and hospital staff had attempted to cover up the incident by tampering with blood test results and accepting bribes from a nursery investor.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), young children are particularly vulnerable to lead’s toxic effects, which can cause lasting health problems, especially to the development of the central nervous system.

Sentenced

On Oct. 16, Li was sentenced to life imprisonment and fined 500,000 yuan (S$95,700).

Kindergarten principal Zhu Jinglin was sentenced to 15 years in prison and fined 30,000 yuan (S$5,700).

Four kitchen workers were also sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to eight years.

An assistant store manager at the Uniqlo outlet in Waterway Point earned praise for memorising the facial features and physical attributes of suspected shoplifters.

This allowed her to alert the authorities when the same suspected individuals returned to the store in Punggol.

The actions of the staff, identified as ​Ms Catherine, were lauded by Punggol Neighbourhood Police Centre in a Facebook post on Oct. 20.

The police said Catherine "demonstrated exceptional vigilance, courage, and keen memory".

Two suspects

There were two repeated shop theft suspects.

Catherine had carefully reviewed earlier CCTV footage of a shop theft incident, the police added.

The same suspects returned to the store weeks later and she instantly identified them.

She then "took proactive action to detain them, successfully preventing further offences".

"​Her sharp observation, brave initiative, and strong commitment to crime prevention reflect the highest standards of store security," the police said.

Uniqlo said it utilises strategic CCTV coverage and continuous staff vigilance, to ensure a a safe and secure shopping environment.

The United States midterm elections are less than three weeks away, with the Nov. 3 election date looking to become a reckoning for President Donald Trump.

In 2024, Trump won his presidential re-election contest, with his Republican Party securing majorities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, known as a trifecta.

The party’s control of several state legislatures and judicial support for their efforts to redraw electoral districts looked like it would cement the Republican majority in the House, a process known as "gerrymandering."

But by October 2026, a scant two years later, outlets like Politico report that Republican leaders have all but ceded the House to the opposition Democrats and are turning their efforts to defending the Senate and holding on to what seats they can in the House.

Did Republican efforts to gerrymander themselves a majority fail, and if so, why?

RE: Districting

The U.S. House of Representatives consists of 435 seats, apportioned to its 50 states by population (with each state receiving one seat no matter how small its population is), with its members re-elected every two years.

Each state then draws its own electoral boundaries as it sees fit, usually controlled by its local state legislature.

At a local level, it is one of the most significant contributions of state legislatures to national elections, as redistricting efforts can, in theory, produce significantly different results depending on how they were drawn.

Majority parties often attempt to split their opponent’s voters into as many seats as possible, diluting their vote, or concentrating them into a few seats, thereby ensuring that both parties have unassailable seats, but the opposition has fewer.

These redistricting efforts are usually held after nationally mandated censuses, usually held at the beginning of each decade, and in the past both parties have attempted to gerrymander their states and win the state before going to the ballot.

What is unique about 2026 is that at least nine states, most of them Republican, will see new electoral districts enacted off-cycle, while several other states, such as Missouri, saw their attempts rejected judicially, at least for the moment.

States such as Texas redrew their maps extensively, and in Texas’s case, with the explicit encouragement of Trump.

But due to factors arguably within the control of Republican leaders, many of these attempts appear to have failed or backfired.

Deep in the heart of Texas

Texas last had a majority of Democratic Congressmen over two decades ago, in 2002.

But according to the Pew Research Center, ever since a 2004 redistricting, Texas Congressional Republicans have held the state.

After Trump’s 2024 victory, he encouraged Texas Republicans, as well as those of other states, to carry out a mid-cycle revamp, and the resultant map looked to give them 30 out of 38 seats, up from 25, according to the Texas Tribune.

For context, Republicans now hold 218 seats in the House of Representatives, with Democrats holding 214 seats, which is a razor-thin majority.

Five seats in Texas alone would double their majority; this is before considering other affected states.

Democratic states were so concerned about this that one, California, threatened to enact its own partisan mid-cycle redistricting effort to effectively cancel out the gains made in Texas, and then did it when Texas passed its new maps.

Coalition politics

But the districts were drawn up based on the results of the 2024 general election, which saw Trump assemble a new electoral coalition made up of voters not traditionally Republican, such as young men and Latinos, adding to groups like white working-class men.

Republicans assumed that the coalition was essentially set in stone, or at least would last them for some time, as Reuters reports.

But events since Trump has taken back the White House have changed the complexion of 2026’s election.

As a previous article explained, between Trump’s trade tariffs and his war of choice in Iran that has spiked energy prices, he not only broke his promise to ease the cost of living; he’s all but blown those promises up.

ICE

Worse yet is the Justice Department’s actions against illegal immigration.

Latino voters are not, as a rule, naturally against immigration enforcement, largely because they are not a homogeneous group.

So their stance on immigration varies, as is explained in a commentary by the Los Angeles Times, and many not only support ICE, but are members of it.

Trump’s return to power has seen a notable enforcement of immigration policy and deportations.

However, many Latinos have come to criticise those efforts as overzealous, and feel that they have become the unwarranted target of those efforts due to their race.

They have been subject to arrests, and even deportation, often without due process, and to vulnerable individuals including babies.

This has fractured support for Trump and his Republican Party, especially in border states such as Texas.

Dummymandering

The seats that were specifically drawn up to rely on their support now face a situation where not only is their vote share decreased, but in some cases it makes them especially vulnerable to electoral collapse, as is described by polling analyst Nate Silver in the Silver Bulletin.

This is a process that is known as “Dummymandering”, and Silver points out that efforts to redistrict are designed for ordinary, competitive elections.

But Trump and the Republicans are facing a unique set of circumstances: Trump’s approval ratings are especially low, and the economy is performing especially poorly, at least for most run-of-the-mill individuals, for reasons that can be directly attributed to Trump's policies.

Furthermore, Trump isn’t personally involved in a election this November, so even his personal charisma and popularity amongst never-say-die supporters are of limited value, as it does not always transfer to other Republican candidates.

Silver points out that Democrats are doing especially well not just in Texas, but in other traditionally Republican states such as Kansas and Alaska, signifying that the Republicans are not just facing a loss, but an electoral wave.

These effects are pronounced in Texas, but are affecting races all across the country, and Republican efforts to secure their majority look to have crippled their ability to hold it.

A dryer allegedly overheated and caught fire, prompting four residents in a Tampines flat to flee.

The fire severely damaged the kitchen and living room of the unit, reported Shin Min Daily News.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) confirmed with Mothership that they were alerted to a fire at Block 714 Tampines Street 71 on Oct. 18 at about 4:45pm.

SCDF added that the fire involved the contents of a kitchen and service yard in a unit on the 13th floor.

Four persons evacuated from the unit before SCDF's arrival.

SCDF extinguished the fire using a water jet.

There were no reported injuries, and the cause of the fire is under investigation, SCDF said.

Dryer started to smoke

The owner of the unit, Zhuo (transliteration), told Shin Min on Oct. 19 that he lived there with four tenants, but he was not home at the time.

He learned of the fire after receiving a call from one of his tenants, who told him that there was smoke from the dryer and the clothes inside were on fire.

"I told her to open the dryer and try to put it out with water, but the flames grew too fast, and it was too late, so they had to run for safety," he said.

Zhuo explained that the dryer was purchased about six or seven years ago.

It had been running for about two hours at the time of the incident.

Residents evacauted

Zhuo also told Shin Min that the tenants knocked on doors to notify their neighbours to evacuate while they were fleeing.

A male resident living below the apartment told Shin Min that he noticed white smoke coming from upstairs, followed by a burning smell.

Shortly afterwards, rescue personnel told them to evacuate.

They were allowed to return home about an hour later.

Other residents downstairs said they heard a loud explosion when it happened.

According to Shin Min, the SCDF investigation lasted until around 9pm that night before the cordon was lifted.

Advisory

SCDF said the top three causes of fires in residential premises are unattended cooking, electrical fires and unattended lighted materials.

"Residents are strongly advised not to leave cooking unattended, and to keep stove-tops, cooker hoods and ovens clean and free of grease," they said.

"They should also avoid overloading power sockets or charging devices overnight without supervision. Lighted materials such as incense sticks or cigarettes should never be left unattended and must be fully extinguished before disposal," SCDF added.

An elderly man in Singapore was scammed out of more than S$21,000 he had saved for his retirement after falling for a lottery scam on Facebook.

The 71-year-old, known as Yang (transliteration), came across an advertisement in late August that promised lottery wins, reported Shin Min Daily News.

The scam

Yang first placed a call to the number in the Facebook advertisement, but it didn’t go through.

However, the scammer returned his call in early September.

The other party then told Yang that they knew people in Singapore Pools who could provide the winning numbers ahead of each draw, reported Shin Min.

But Yang would have to pay for it: numbers for the first prize cost S$1,988, second prize S$1,688, and third prize S$1,388.

He reportedly told the scammers that he could not afford those, and they instead asked for S$500 to set up his account, and another S$500 for five sets of 4D numbers.

On Sep. 5, Yang was given the five sets of numbers and promised S$300,000 if he won.

However, none of the numbers matched, and he questioned the scammer.

The scammer then claimed that the numbers were "sold out" due to their popularity and hence couldn't be drawn, but promised to get his insider to alter the tickets for Yang to strike the lottery.

Yang then received a text the next day informing him that he had won the first prize, accompanied by a photo of a cheque for S$300,000.

Asked to transfer more

Yang was asked to transfer the scammer another S$1,488, the remainder of the first prize fee, which he obliged.

On Sep. 9, the scammer said that transferring the prize money, which was a large sum, may raise suspicions of money laundering, and asked for S$5,850 in “handling fees”.

Two days later, he was asked to transfer another S$7,840 for the same reason.

By Sep. 16, Yang had yet to receive the promised prize money and made a police report.

However, he still transferred the scammers another S$3,500 in hopes of receiving the prize money at the beginning of October and on Oct. 16.

Yang finally realised he had been scammed when they asked him for more money, and read reports of such cases in the Chinese newspapers a few days ago.

The man said that he is now penniless and unemployed as his contract for cleaning work had expired, and can only survive on instant noodles and bread daily, according to Shin Min.

Through this ordeal, Yang said he lost a total of S$21,688.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) has been handed a temporary restriction notice by the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) regarding its enhanced Singapore Green Labelling Scheme (SGLS+) certification.

As a result, it will be subjected to daily fire response reporting and strict monitoring.

Of the 10 Indonesian companies issued preventive measure notices by the National Environment Agency after hotspots were detected on lands they operated, at least three are listed as suppliers to APP.

APP is a Singapore-incorporated company.

The issuance of the temporary restrictions notice was announced in a statement by SEC on Oct. 19.

Must provide daily fire reports, risk losing green label

Under the notice, SEC explained that APP must provide daily fire response reports for the concession areas managed by Indonesian companies PT Bumi Mekar Hijau, PT Bumi Andalas Permai and PT Sebangun Bumi Andalas Wood Industries.

The three entities are wood-fibre suppliers to APP and operate concessions in South Sumatra, Indonesia.

These same entities were issued preventive measures notices under the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act by the NEA on Oct. 16, along with four other non-SGLS+ entities, SEC said.

If APP's additional reporting is unable to demonstrate that strengthened monitoring, fire prevention and suppression measures are implemented effectively, the SGLS+ certificate may subsequently be suspended.

If so, the use of the SGLS+ logo on products associated with the certification would have to cease.

What is the SGLS+ certification?

The SGLS+ certification for pulp and paper products was launched by SEC in 2017 after the 2015 haze episode.

It incorporated requirements to reduce fire risks on plantations, such as having robust fire prevention measures and strict zero-burning compliance throughout a company's supply chain.

Around 58 pulp and paper products, such as printing paper and hygiene paper, are certified under the SGLS+ certification.

The label aims to empower customers to make informed purchasing decisions and support more environmentally responsible products, SEC said.

APP lost green label in 2015 over haze, products pulled from shelves

In 2015, APP products were pulled from supermarket shelves after SEC suspended their green certification.

APP products only returned four years later in 2019 when it received the SGLS+ certification from the SEC.

SEC is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation that manages an eco-labelling programme in Singapore.

Senior Minister K Shanmugam shared on Oct. 19, 2026 that the government was looking into several companies, including APP, over possible links to forest fires in Indonesia that have caused the haze experienced in Singapore in the past weeks.

A 73-year-old man in Singapore raped his underage daughter after watching pornography in her presence sometime between 2021 and 2022.

He silenced her by telling her he would go to jail and she would not be able to see him anymore.

The sexual abuse continued for years, from when the girl was 10 until she was 13.

In 2024, the girl finally told a friend and the man was arrested after the Child Protection System was alerted.

The man was sentenced to 13.5 years in jail on Oct. 19, according to CNA. He cannot be caned as he is above the age of 50.

He cannot be named to protect the identity of the victim, who is now 15.

He pleaded guilty to four charges, including aggravated statutory rape, aggravated molestation and sexual exploitation of a child.

Six other charges were taken into consideration for the sentencing.

What happened

The victim lived in a flat with her father.

He was married at the time of the offences to the victim's mother, his lawyer, Joseph Yoong of Dominion LLC, confirmed with Mothership.

Sometime between 2021 and 2022, when the girl was in primary school, the man watched pornography on TV while she was in the same room.

According to court documents seen by Mothership, the victim was lying on a mattress, and he approached her to make her perform a sex act on him.

He then committed rape against the victim and later told her not to tell anyone about what happened.

The man said that he would be imprisoned and she would never be able to see him again if she did so.

Worried, the victim complied.

The sexual abuse happened again in 2023, in which he molested and performed oral sex on her.

While he did so, she remained immobile as she was fearful.

He continued to sexually assault her between May and October 2024, and between July 2024 and August 2024.

While she was disgusted by his acts, she did not react as she was afraid of being scolded by him, court documents stated.

Victim told friend

In October 2024, the victim told a friend that her father had been sexually assaulting her since 2021.

She said she wanted to kill herself, according to court documents.

The friend told a teacher, and the matter was referred to the Child Protection System.

A police report was lodged, and the man was arrested the next day.

According to the man's lawyer, he was a taxi driver who often returned home late.

He is still married to his wife, who is now a Singapore permanent resident, CNA reported.

The prosecution had asked for a sentence of 14.5 to 16 years’ imprisonment, calling the man's act a "gross abuse of trust, authority and influence".

"Over a span of about three to four years, the accused betrayed the victim’s trust in him and robbed her of her innocence in their home, which should have been a safe place for the victim," the prosecutor said.