When Hani Isnin-Racine had to shut her stall for nearly two months to care for her ailing parents, her first worry was not the loss of income. It was whether her regulars would have enough to eat, according to Berita Harian (BH).

Throughout the stall's closure, the 41-year-old owner of The $2.50 Shop at Kukoh 21 Hawker Centre continued cooking dishes like mee goreng and nasi lemak, which she left outside her stall daily for residents of the Jalan Kukoh neighbourhood to take for free.

The stall reopened on Jul. 6, according to BH.

"What would they eat if I closed completely?"

Speaking to BH, Hani said her regulars, many of whom are elderly residents and families living in rental flats nearby, had been depending on her stall for years.

She said:

"I was more worried that they would have no food. I have known them for years.

Some depend on my stall for their daily meal before taking their medication, and some live alone.

So if I closed completely, what would they eat?"

Six years of S$2.50 meals

The $2.50 Shop was set up six years ago with the goal of selling affordable food to residents in the neighbourhood.

Malay dishes such as nasi lemak, nasi rawon, mee rebus, mee soto, nasi ayam and lontong were initially priced between S$3 and S$4.50.

In Nov. 2023, Hani made the decision to standardise all dishes at S$2.50, a price she has held firm on ever since, despite the rising costs of ingredients and operating costs.

She told BH: "I opened this stall for the community. I just want to contribute what I can and do what I am able to for the people here."

She added that keeping prices low was also about preserving her customers' dignity, saying that with S$10, they could still walk away with four dishes without feeling like they were asking for charity.

Costs rising, income falling

Hani told BH that her income has dropped significantly in recent times, with many days yielding no earnings at all. The situation worsened after GST was raised to nine per cent in Jan. 2024, adding further pressure on top of rising ingredient, utility and operating costs.

She currently spends around S$500 a day on raw ingredients such as meat, vegetables and other cooking essentials, not including approximately 50kg of rice purchased every four days.

Limited storage space means she has to buy supplies in small quantities almost daily, making bulk purchasing difficult.

BH reported that some have questioned whether S$2.50 is a realistic price for the food she serves, but Hani said what others consider low may still be too much for some of her customers.

She said: "There are still customers who come with only 80 cents. I can't bear to tell them to eat just one kuih, so I give them something more filling."

"I would feel like I had lost my purpose"

After nearly six years running the stall, Hani told BH that her customers have become part of her life.

She said: "This stall has become part of my life. All this while, my purpose has not just been to sell food, but to serve the community here. That is why, if one day I can no longer continue, I feel like I would lose my purpose in life."

A recent three-day visit to Singapore brought back a wave of memories for former Fahrenheit member Wu Chun.

The Brunei-born singer-actor shared photos from his trip on Instagram on Jul. 4, captioning the post: "Fruitful Singapore trip lah."

Among the photos was one of the 46-year-old and his wife, Lin Liying, posing inside phone booths near Ngee Ann City on Orchard Road.

"...Even took my dear wife back to the phone booth where I’d suffered for her 30 years ago," he said in his caption.

Fans were quick to connect the phone booths to a story Wu once shared about calling Lin from the same spot when they were both 16.

Missed her while he was overseas

According to The Star, Wu revealed on a variety show in 2013 that he had once broken down in tears at a phone booth in Singapore while calling Lin.

Just three months into their relationship, he had left for Australia to study. During the flight, he read a letter from Lin and apparently could not stop crying.

While on a stopover in Singapore, he bought a phone card and called Lin from a public telephone, where he broke down in tears.

Wu later returned to Brunei just one month after beginning his studies in Australia.

Fans commented that they were amazed the phone booth was still standing after 30 years.

Wu and Lin were high school sweethearts, having met at the age of 16.

They got married in 2004 and have two children.

Fruitful trip

Wu also shared that the trip was rewarding and that he was happy to reunite with his family in Singapore.

Besides visiting Orchard Road, he said he played tennis in Singapore for the first time and also took part in a magazine photoshoot.

He also enjoyed some delicious food, caught up with an old friend he had not seen in two years, and even found time to complete an ECG medical check-up.

Daily temperatures in Malaysia could hit up to 40°C in 2027 as the climate pattern known as a "Super El Niño" is projected to develop.

This was shared with the media on Jul. 7 by the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MetMalaysia), The Star reported.

The El Niño phenomenon refers to the warming of waters in the Pacific Ocean which in turn leads to heavy rains and floods in South America and also drought and heatwaves in Southeast Asia and parts of Australia.

The stronger El Niño phase is expected to peak between November 2026 and January 2027, said the deputy director general of operations Ambun Dindang.

Less rainfall is expected across most parts of the country as a result.

"With a strong El Niño forecast and the increasingly evident effects of global warming, temperatures of around 40°C could potentially occur in Malaysia between March and May 2027," typically the country's hottest period each year, said director-general Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip, as quoted by The News Straits Times.

El Niño forecast

Mohd Hisham cited historical meteorological records, when Malaysia experienced a strong El Niño episode between 1997 and 1998, and between 2016 and 2017.

During those periods, daily maximum temperatures can exceed 38°C, he said.

On Apr. 9, 1998, Malaysia recorded its highest-ever temperature of 40.1°C in Cuping, Perlis, Ambun said.

For the upcoming projected El Niño, the areas most at risk of extreme heat are the northern states, the inland areas of Kelantan and Pahang, and the inner regions of Sabah and Sarawak.

Preparations

Malaysia's government agencies have begun preparations for extreme weather, wildfires, water shortages, health issues, as well as education disruptions, Ambun said.

MetMalaysia has intensified its extreme weather monitoring and its forecast of fire and haze risks, while remaining prepared to support cloud seeding operations if necessary.

Hot and dry conditions can also increase the risk of forest fires.

The director-general of the Fire and Rescue Department separately said that 200 operational vehicles will be deployed in July 2026 to boost monitoring and firefighting in response to potential fire outbreaks.

Weather updates and advisories can be found on MetMalaysia's official website, social media platforms, and the MyCuaca app.

A woman was left in tears at the airport after discovering that three containers of Musang King durians she had packed for her return to Saudi Arabia were barred from her flight.

Cried at the airport

In a Threads post, the traveller shared that she broke down upon learning her durians had failed pre-flight security screening, mStar reported.

She explained that she did not have the opportunity to eat any durians during her holiday in Malaysia.

"That's why I thought, it’s okay, I'll just bring it to eat in Saudi. It ended up not passing the flight. I couldn't hold back my tears, they just flowed... it was heartbreaking."

Hoping to satisfy her cravings back in Saudi Arabia, she packed around 20 pieces of the fruit into her checked-in luggage, saying that she only wanted a "small taste".

Claimed she had done it before

The woman claimed she had successfully transported durians in her checked baggage on previous trips in checked-in luggage without issue.

Many netizens chided her, pointing out that policies on carrying durians in checked baggage vary between airlines.

Commenters noted that while some carriers permit tightly sealed durians, many enforce a strict blanket ban on the fruit in both cabin and checked luggage due to its strong odour.

Aljunied GRC Member of Parliament (MP) Fadli Fawzi and Non-Constituency Member of Parliament Andrew Low were co-opted to the Workers' Party (WP) Central Executive Committee (CEC), while Faisal Manap has been re-appointed as the party's Vice Chair.

The announcement of co-opted CEC members and appointments comes after the WP CEC's first meeting on Jul. 7.

WP CEC from 2026 to 2028

Here is the full list of the WP CEC and their appointments, which will lead the party from now until 2028:

• Chair: Sylvia Lim, 61
• Vice Chair: Muhamad Faisal Abdul Manap, 51
• Secretary-General: Pritam Singh, 50
• Treasurer: Kenneth Tiong, 37
• Deputy Treasurer: Abdul Muhaimin Bin Abdul Malik, 37
• Organising Secretaries: Dennis Tan Lip Fong, 56, He Ting Ru, 43
• Deputy Organising Secretaries: Tan Kong Soon, 49, Fadli Fawzi, 41
• Head, Media Team: Louis Chua Kheng Wee, 39
• ⁠Deputy Head, Media Team: Andre Low, 34
• Head, Policy Research: Jamus Lim, 50
• Deputy Head, Policy Research: Gerald Giam, 49
• Youth Wing President: Eileen Chong, 34
• Committee Member: Low Thia Khiang, 70
• Committee Member: Harpreet Singh Nehal, 60

Shuffles from previous CEC

Notably, Faisal Manap, who contested in Tampines GRC during the 2025 general election but lost, remains the party's Vice-Chair.

Aljunied GRC's Kenneth Tiong takes over as Treasurer from Sengkang GRC's He Ting Ru.

He Ting Ru, together with Hougang SMC's Dennis Tan, is now an Organising Secretary on the CEC.

Abdul Muhaimin from Sengkang GRC is newly appointed as the Deputy Treasurer, taking over from Nathaniel Koh, who is not on the CEC in this term.

Sengkang GRC's Jamus Lim and Aljunied GRC's Gerald Giam have swapped their appointments, with Lim taking over as Head of Policy Research and Giam assuming the role of Deputy Head.

Sengkang GRC's Louis Chua continues to lead the party's media team, helped by Andre Low, who was co-opted to the CEC.

Low replaces Lee Li Lian, who is not on the CEC in this term, as Deputy Head of the media team.

NCMP Eileen Chong remains as Youth Wing President.

Aljunied GRC's Fadli Fawzi, who was co-opted to the CEC, retains his appointment as Deputy Organising Secretary.

Tan Kong Soon remains on the CEC as a Deputy Organising Secretary.

Harpreet Singh, who contested as part of WP's Punggol GRC slate in GE2025, ranks as a committee member alongside party veteran Low Thia Khiang.

Harpreet was the only new face on the CEC following the party elections during the Jun. 28 WP Cadre Members' Conference.

Pritam Singh and Sylvia Lim were re-elected as Secretary-General and Chair during that same party cadre meeting.

"With this team in place, The Workers’ Party looks ahead with confidence to serve our constituents with dedication, and to advance the interests of Singapore and all Singaporeans in the years to come," the WP said in a news release.

The WP CEC is made up of 14 members, and up to a total of seven cadre members may be co-opted.

It is the highest decision-making body of the party.

Microsoft has cut 4,800 jobs, representing 2.1 per cent of its workforce, in an effort to cut costs.

According to CNBC, Microsoft's Xbox division will lay off around 20 per cent of its staff, including 1,600 jobs on Jul. 6, with additional cuts in the coming months.

Microsoft's chief people officer, Amy Coleman, who has been at the company for 27 years, told employees in a Jul. 6 message that "the way technology is built, deployed, and used is transforming faster than at any point in my time here".

Four gaming studios which were previously acquired by Microsoft will also be spun out of the software giant; two will become independent again.

Xbox to cut 3,200 people

In an email to division employees, Xbox chief executive officer Asha Sharma said Xbox will be cutting a total of 3,200 people, with half of those roles being part of the 4,800 jobs eliminated on Jul. 6.

The other 1,600 people will be leaving throughout Microsoft's 2027 fiscal year.

Sharma said she recognised the additional challenges of a year-long restructuring but added: "It is not possible to make all necessary changes in a single day".

Sharma noted: "We will return to growth in 2027".

According to CNBC, Microsoft conducted several rounds of layoffs last year, including one that eliminated 9,000 jobs.

Microsoft's revenue has seen growth in cloud services and LinkedIn, but revenue in Windows operating system licenses, Surface devices, and Xbox has been shrinking in recent quarters.

Coleman said the commercial business that focuses on selling to customers will also see reductions.

4 gaming studios to be spun out

The four gaming studios that will be spun out of Microsoft are Compulsion Games, Double Fine Productions studios, Ninja Theory, and Undead Labs, reported CNBC.

Compulsion Games and Double Fine Productions studios, acquired by Microsoft in the 2010s, will become independent again. 

Sharma said that Ninja Theory and Undead Labs, which joined Microsoft in 2018, have entered into terms to join new ownership.

In a post on X, Double Fine thanked Xbox for "seven great years" and for returning ownership of its games.

Similarly, Compulsion Games posted its statement to X, thanking Xbox and stating that its immediate priority was to support its team during the transition.

Sharma added that France-based Arkane Studios, which was obtained in Microsoft's US$8.1 billion (S$10.5 billion) ZeniMax Media acquisition deal, is in contact with its work council regarding strategic options.

Voluntary retirement program

In April 2026, Microsoft launched a one-time voluntary retirement program targeting U.S. employees at the senior director position and below.

More than a third of eligible employees accepted the offer.

Coleman said the company will keep exploring similar voluntary approaches and is looking for ways to reduce the need for job cuts.

She added that AI is not replacing laid-off workers but noted: "At the same time, what is true is that AI is changing how work gets done".

"Some of the tasks we do every day can now be automated, and that means we all need to keep learning, keep building new skills, and keep adapting as the work evolves."

The elderly woman involved in an accident along Lorong 6 Toa Payoh on the morning of Jul. 7 has died, according to a statement from the Singapore Police Force (SPF).

She had been involved in a collision with a lorry and was conveyed unconscious to the hospital.

SPF said they were alerted at about 10:15am to an accident involving a lorry and a Personal Mobility Device (PMD) along Lorong 6 Toa Payoh, towards Lorong 1 Toa Payoh.

The lorry driver, 34, was subsequently arrested by the police for dangerous driving causing death and suspected drug-related offences.

"Drug paraphernalia were found in the lorry and items believed to be duty-unpaid cigarettes were found on the man," SPF said.

The suspected drug-related offences have been referred to the Central Narcotics Bureau, while the customs-related offences will be referred to Singapore Customs, police said.

Investigations are ongoing.

Shortly after the People's Power Party (PPP) announced its leadership transition plan on Jul. 6, former secretary-general Goh Meng Seng penned a Facebook post reflecting on the party's failure during the 2025 General Election.

He said he "bears the full responsibility" of the PPP's showing, and blamed his "attachment to long-held 'Old-Fashioned Values'".

"As Derrick has put it, I have become relatively 'Old-Fashioned' in today's era...

Upon deep reflection, I have put too much trust in others to hold on to such Old-Fashioned Values which have molded my political perspectives in my whole life."

The party had a lacklustre showing in GE2025, winning 11 per cent of the vote in a three-cornered fight in Ang Mo Kio, and 0.43 per cent in a four-cornered fight in Tampines.

Leadership renewal

The party had announced that upon completion of its Central Executive Committee (CEC) renewal plan, both Goh and former chairman Derrick Sim had decided to step down from their posts and from the CEC.

William Lim Lian Chin, one of the PPP's candidates for Ang Mo Kio in GE2025, was elected its new secretary-general.

In his Facebook post, Goh said that he and Sim had allowed the party to "reorganise and determine its new leadership and direction before we officially stepped down".

He added that he would give his full support to the party and its new leadership, while also continuing with his political activism through educational social media posts.

"This is despite the fact that we know most Singaporeans don't really bother about policies or political ideas when they vote."

Walkover anger

In reflecting about his loss, Goh pointed to two specific "failures" on his part.

On the first "failure", he reiterated a stance that he had first floated during GE2025, when the Workers' Party (WP) announced that it would field a team in Tampines GRC instead of Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC.

This led to an unexpected walkover for the People's Action Party (PAP), a result Goh condemned.

He also called the WP a "last-minute spoiler party".

In his Jul. 7 post, Goh once again alluded to the event, saying that he had failed in his keeping to his "long-held First Principles of Opposition Politics".

"I am still too old-fashioned [and thought] that All Opposition will do anything and everything to deny PAP having a breezy WALKOVER," he wrote.

'Old-Fashioned Thinking'

He also criticised Singapore voters, whom he claimed value "emotional and visual appeals" more than "the true hearts of old-fashioned values".

"My second Failure... [was] to believe Singaporeans value Truth, Accountability and Values of a Conservative Society," he said.

"Singapore voters have transformed but I still [live] in the past of values...

For the better or the worse, I really hope such paradigm shift of the societal trend will work well for Singapore's Future."

He added that he still "quite stubbornly" holds true to these "Old Fashioned Values", but acknowledged that he is no longer a good fit for modern voters.

Goh nonetheless said he would continue to provide "Political Education on policy matters" on social media, alongside Sim.

"This will not be the end of my political activism... We just choose to do what we think is important for a better political development for Singapore," he wrote. 

After walking a 71-year-old woman with dementia home on one occasion and finding out where she lived, a 51-year-old man visited the woman on at least four other occasions to rape and molest her.

The man, Mohamad Zakir Jaafar, was eventually caught in the act on a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera in the living room, installed by the woman's son.

Zakir faced eight charges in total — six in relation to raping and molesting the 71-year-old and three for the possession of knuckle dusters and a replica handgun.

He pleaded guilty on Jul. 7 to two charges of rape and one charge of molestation, CNA reported.

The rest of the charges will be taken into consideration during sentencing.

Wife helped guide victim home

According to court documents, the victim was formally diagnosed with dementia in February 2019.

In 2021, she was found mentally incapable of handling her own finances and welfare.

In June 2022, Zakir's wife encountered the victim at the void deck of the victim's housing block.

The victim was lost and unable to find her way back home.

After getting her address from her identity card, Zakir's wife helped the victim get home.

Afterwards, the wife told Zakir about the victim.

Visited victim at night

About a week later, Zakir encountered the victim, who was lost near a mall around their neighbourhood. He walked the victim home.

The victim told Zakir that she lived alone and that her sons would visit her once in awhile.

Zakir observed that the victim was unaware of her surroundings and did not know how to go home.

After this first encounter with the victim, Zakir went back to the victim's home at least four times, between June 2022 and Jan. 3, 2023.

He would go at night after his work shift, show the victim pornographic videos and perform sexual acts on her.

CCTV footage and arrest

On Jan. 3, 2023, the victim's younger son saw what Zakir had been doing with the victim while reviewing the CCTV footage.

He alerted his brother, who filed a police report.

Zakir was arrested that same day.

Victim lacked capacity to consent to sexual relationship

The victim was later assessed to lack the mental capacity to consent to a sexual relationship.

This, along with other assessment findings, qualifies the victim as a vulnerable person at the time of the offences, as defined by law.

Egregious sexual assault case: Prosecutors

In their submissions, Deputy Public Prosecutors James Chew and Tan Jun Ya described the case as an "egregious sexual assault case" in which the accused "repeatedly exploited a vulnerable victim who had no mental capacity".

They sought a sentence of around 15 years' and one month' to 16 years' and three months' jail.

They also sought an additional jail term of 12 months, in lieu of caning.

CNA reported that the court asked for further submissions and adjourned the case for sentencing to a later date.

The Ministry of Transport (MOT) will pump S$800 million into transport research and innovation over the course of the next five years, said Acting Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow during parliament sitting on Jul. 7.

Several members of parliament had filed a parliamentary motion calling for the reinforcement of Singapore's position as a global transport hub.

Speaking on the motion, Siow said transport is the foundation on which Singapore's economy is built and emphasised the need to keep the sector globally-oriented, future-focused and people-centric.

Transport research and innovation

Siow, who sits on the National AI Council and leads the AI Mission on Connectivity, noted the increasing conversations around Artificial Intelligence (AI).

With the unpredictability of AI, there is a need to prepare and stay ahead, and transport is no exception, he said.

"Our approach will not be to adopt AI for its own sake, but to do so with intention, clarity and on our own terms," Siow said.

Responding to the motion filed, Siow shared that MOT plans to invest S$800 million over the next five years on transport research and innovation.

This will include projects drawn from the AI Connectivity Mission, he added.

Noting that S$800 million is more than double the funding for the last five years, Siow said the government will use these funds to "back ideas that could completely transform how transport operates today".

He gave an example of a fully automated MRT depot that maintains and repairs Singapore's trains more efficiently.

"If these projects succeed in the next decade, Singapore will still remain one of the world’s major transport and logistics hubs, but it will look completely different," he said.

Technology supporting workers

Siow's speech also touched on supporting workers in the transport sector.

Saying that technology can transform existing jobs and create new jobs, he noted AI can lighten the workload of some jobs.

For example, he said that AI can "put the full picture together" for air traffic controllers, so that the controller can focus on decision-making, something only a human can do.

“Technology of this kind raises the value of the workers,” he said.

Siow also addressed concerns that some taxi and private hire car drivers may have about autonomous vehicles (AVs).

He assured that driver jobs are "not going to vanish anytime soon" and highlighted that Singapore has more than 70,000 taxi and private-hire drivers, while there are only about 20 AVs here.

"Even if I gathered every autonomous vehicle in the world around the world today and moved them all to Singapore, that would only be about seven cars or less than 10 of our total taxi and private hire car population," Siow said, saying they will take a proactive approach to support drivers in any transition.