UPDATE on Aug. 7 at 1:30pm: This article has been updated with new information as it is a developing story.

Seven people have died after a school shooting near Bangkok, Thailand on Aug. 7.

The deceased are reportedly three teachers, three students and the shooter, who was said to be a student, according to local media.

The gunman reportedly killed himself.

Local authorities also confirmed at least 15 were injured, with two seriously injured.

Students, teachers and staff have been evacuated from the area.

Shooting

The shooting occurred in Debsirin Nonthaburi School, a well-known secondary school in the Bang Kruai district of Nonthaburi province.

According to BBC Thailand, the suspected shooter was a 14-year-old male student in the ninth grade.

Students reportedly said they initially thought the sound of gunshots were firecrackers going off, or someone banging something.

Many were seen fleeing from the shooting site and escaping across an overhead bridge.

The area has been cordoned off in the meantime.

Prime Minister sends condolences

Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has sent his condolences to the victims of the shooting.

"This is really bad, it shouldn't have happened. I don't just feel sorry for the victims but I feel sorry that this happened," he said in an interview following the incident.

"This is why the government do not allow [citizens] to posses firearms."

In a written reply to a Parliamentary question on Aug. 4, Senior Minister K Shanmugam responded to Workers' Party MP Jamus Lim's question regarding data on the average sentencing outcomes for drink-driving cases over the past three years.

In his question, Lim asked what the average durations of driving bans, fines, and incarceration were in cases of drink-driving in Singapore.

According to SM Shanmugam, who is also the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs, a total of 5,176 people were arrested for drink-driving between 2023 and 2025.

Of these, 3,283 cases resulted in disqualification from driving.

40 cases resulted in lifetime disqualification, while the remaining 3,243 offenders received an average driving ban of 38 months.

Meanwhile, fines were imposed in 3,020 cases, with an average amount of about S$5,200.

Imprisonment was imposed in 647 cases, with an average sentence of 45 days.

SM Shanmugam also noted that arrest and sentencing statistics for a given year are not directly comparable.

This is because people arrested in a particular year may only be charged and/or sentenced in a later year following investigations and court proceedings.

Road Traffic Act 1961

A drink-driving offence refers to an offence under Section 67(1)(b) of the Road Traffic Act 1961, which states that a person commits an offence if they drive or attempt to drive a motor vehicle on a road or other public place with the proportion of alcohol in their breath or blood exceeding the prescribed limit.

Under the Road Traffic Act 1961, a first-time offender is liable, upon conviction, to a fine of not less than S$2,000 and not more than S$10,000, imprisonment for up to 12 months, or both.

A repeat offender is liable to a fine of not less than S$5,000 and not more than S$20,000, and an imprisonment not exceeding two years.

A man was fined S$8,000 for illegally disposing of about 1,530kg of household and renovation waste in Tampines.

The disposal occurred at Tampines Road Heavy Vehicle Park on May 13, 2025.

Shkder Foridul pleaded guilty to one charge under the Environmental Public Health Act 1987 (EPHA) and was fined.

The case was heard on Aug. 4.

Pile of waste

On May 14, National Environment Agency (NEA) officers discovered a pile of waste comprising household items and renovation waste that had been dumped on the grass verge at Tampines Road Heavy Vehicle Park during routine checks.

Investigations revealed that Foridul undertook hacking and dismantling jobs for two residential premises at Whampoa Drive and Farrer Road, respectively.

Instead of disposing of the waste properly at a licensed general waste disposal facility, Foridul dumped it illegally out of convenience.

Offence

NEA said illegal disposal of waste is a serious offence as it pollutes the environment and poses a hazard to public health, and will not hesitate to take strict enforcement action against any person who disposes of waste illegally.

First-time offenders are liable to a fine of up to S$50,000, a jail term of up to 12 months, or both.

Repeat offenders are liable to a maximum fine of S$100,000 and a jail term of one to 12 months.

Members of the public can assist NEA by submitting reports of suspected illegal disposal electronically via the Online Feedback Form or myENV mobile application.

When reporting, members of the public are advised to provide the date, time, and location of the incident, the registration number of the vehicle used to carry out the illegal disposal, as well as any supporting photos and video clips.

A 25-year-old woman was taken to hospital after a car crashed into the pedestrian walkway near Mandarin Gallery in the Orchard area on Aug. 5.

Vehicle appeared to have struck traffic control box

A video of the aftermath, posted on Instagram showed a grey car on the pedestrian pavement outside the mall.

The vehicle appeared to have struck a traffic control box, which was tilted following the impact.

An ambulance was also at the scene, with several paramedics seen attending to a woman seated on the ground nearby.

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Male driver assisting in investigations

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force said they were alerted to a road traffic accident at the junction of Orchard Road and Grange Road at around 3:50pm that day.

The woman was conveyed conscious to Raffles Hospital.

According to the police, a 20-year-old male driver is assisting with investigations.

Yin Onn, a store in Teluk Intan, Perak, closed for a full day to carry out ritual cleansing after a customer placed her dog in a shopping trolley.

According to Sin Chew Daily, another shopper photographed the woman and posted the image on social media, where it circulated widely.

What the social media post said

The woman who made the post said she saw the customer place the dog in the trolley at around 4:50pm on Aug. 4, and pointed out that Muslim shoppers would be using the same trolleys.

She called on the store to conduct a full cleaning and to apologise to its Muslim customers.

Store closed for a day

After consulting the Perak District Islamic Religious Council, the store decided to close for one day on Aug. 5 to carry out a full cleaning in line with the council's guidelines.

In a statement, the store said its staff followed religious guidance in performing sertu, an Islamic cleansing procedure. All of the shopping trolleys and the entire store were cleaned this way.

What the store said happened

A person in charge at the store confirmed the incident to Sin Chew Daily's Perak community newspaper.

He told the paper: “When our staff found out, they asked the customer to leave with her dog, but she stayed. After they informed me, I went over to explain the situation to her, and she cooperated and left with the dog”

He said the store had issued a statement apologising to Muslim customers, and urged non-Muslim customers to be mindful of such matters and avoid bringing dogs into the store in order to maintain religious sensitivity and harmony.

The store's statement

In a statement posted on Facebook, Yin Onn said it had informed the customer that pets were not allowed on the premises and asked her to take the dog out immediately once management became aware.

The store said: "We sincerely apologise for the concerns, inconvenience, and mistakes that have occurred. We fully take responsibility for this incident and are deeply sorry for the occurrence."

The store also said it was committed to strengthening its standard operating procedures and internal guidelines.

Prominent signage stating that pets are not allowed has since been placed at the store's entrance, and management has instructed all staff on the procedure to follow should a similar situation arise.

The owner of one of Singapore's oldest and last remaining provision stores in a landed residential area died at the age of 86 on Aug. 4, 2026.

Lianhe Zaobao reported that the man, Weng Liuxing (transliterated), died in the hospital on the evening of Aug. 4 due to pneumonia.

31 Rosyth Road

Before his death, he ran the store for 70 years until it closed on Dec. 31, 2024.

Located at 31 Rosyth Road, Tee Seng Store was one of the last grocery stores that remained in a landed residential area.

Its owner, who had worked in grocery stores since he was 15, later took over the store until it closed.

Devoted entire life to store

The eldest brother in a family of seven, Weng devoted his entire life to running the store.

His youngest sister, 72, shared about her brother's life with Zaobao at the funeral.

She said that to him, the small counter in the store was not just his livelihood, but also a home.

His sister said that her older brother started working at the age of 15, had tuberculosis in 1964, and was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in 1996, but fully recovered later on.

"There is a big age gap between me and my older brother," she said.

"He was already working when I was studying. But I am always grateful and often tell my children that it is because of the sacrifices of my older brothers and sisters that I was able to study.”

She added that her elder brother was polite and tactful.

She shared that because migrant workers or domestic helpers often visited his shop, he specially learned a few words of their language to better communicate with them.

Woke up at 6am daily

Zaobao reported that he had started helping out at this grocery store after graduating from school at the age of 15.

After the store changed owners three times, he officially took over the business and changed its name before running the store for 70 years.

At the time, waking up at 6am every morning, working out nearby, and opening his shop at 8am was his "most comfortable and carefree lifestyle."

Having lived in the backyard of the grocery store for most of their lives, he and his wife never thought about travelling or selling the store.

"We'll do it for as long as we can, until we can't anymore," he said.

Fell, hospital

Zaobao reported that in June 2023, he accidentally fell at home, after which he depended on a walking frame to move around upon being discharged from the hospital.

Despite that, he continued to care for the store and would open it as long as he could still walk.

However, his family could not bear this and persuaded him to retire.

It had long become a part of his life, said his sister.

In September 2025, he slipped in a toilet at home and broke his leg.

He has been bedridden since getting discharged from the hospital in December 2025, Zaobao reported

His sister said: "Perhaps due to prolonged bed rest, he often had difficulty breathing due to excessive phlegm. About two weeks ago, we rushed him to the hospital because of his breathing difficulties."

On the afternoon of Aug. 4, his sister visited him in the hospital along with another brother and sister, before he passed away in the evening.

Though he is gone, his spirit will live on in the hearts of his family, she said.

A taxi hit the back of a traffic police patrol car on the Pan Island Expressway (PIE) towards Tuas on Aug. 4 at about 5:40pm.

A photo of the aftermath of the incident shared online showed the bonnet of the ComfortDelGro multi-purpose vehicle taxi badly damaged.

The Toyota Noah Hybrid six-seater's air bags also appeared to have been deployed.

On the other hand, the electric Polestar 2 expressway patrol car did not appear to have sustained any serious damage.

The taxi driver, a man, 45, and his passenger, a man, 37, were conveyed conscious to the hospital, police said.

Police investigations are ongoing.

A man who went swimming at Sentosa's Palawan Beach with five friends on the evening of Jul. 31 ended up drowning.

Shin Min Daily News reported that despite being rescued by his friends, his abdomen was swollen, and he was vomiting blood.

The man, who did not know how to swim, regained consciousness after beach staff provided him with oxygen, and he was sent to the hospital.

Struggling in water

Among the group of six, 25-year-old Mou Hao (transliterated) told Shin Min that five of them were on the shore that day.

They then turned and realised that the friend who couldn't swim was somehow in deep water, with only half his head visible above the surface.

"My head went blank for a second, and without thinking, I jumped into the sea to save [him]," Mou Hao said.

Noting that his friend grabbed him tightly in panic, Mou Hao added that this caused them to sink more.

He also choked on water several times, Shin Min reported.

Pulled ashore

It was only when his friend lost consciousness and stopped struggling that Mou Hao could drag him to shore.

With the help of their other friends, they pulled him onto the beach.

After being pulled ashore, he kept vomiting blood, with his abdomen being visibly swollen, Shin Min reported.

His breathing was also very weak when he lay on the beach.

Mou Hao then performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation and artificial respiration on him.

He said: "I could smell the blood and vomit in his mouth. He gagged with every breath, but no matter how hard I tried, he didn’t respond."

Sent to hospital

Beach staff arrived shortly after and provided the man with oxygen.

His fingers began to move and he regained consciousness after some first aid.

However, he was still disoriented.

Responding to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said it received a call for assistance along Tanjong Beach Walk at about 6:45pm on Jul. 31.

SCDF conveyed one person to Singapore General Hospital.

Mou Hao told Shin Min that the doctor later explained that the X-ray showed his friend had a large amount of water in his lungs.

This caused him lung damage and made him cough up blood.

Called mother and cried

Throughout the ordeal, Mou Hao had been fighting back his emotions, but finally burst into tears when he called his mother at the hospital, he told Shin Min.

He said he felt powerless as his friend kept struggling and pulling him into the water.

"Every time I recall the feeling of myself continuously choking on water, I still feel very scared and at the time, I thought I was going to die there."

After learning of the incident, his mother praised him for his bravery, but expressed concern at such risks.

Assess own abilities before rescuing others

Speaking to Shin Min, a lifeguard with about 30 years of experience said members of the public should assess their own abilities before rescuing someone else.

If not, not only would they be unable to rescue the other person, they may also be dragged in the water by the weaker swimmer.

The lifeguard explained that weaker swimmers tend to grab those around them when they panic in the water.

Even a 10-year-old child could drag an adult in the water, he said.

He also pointed out that the rescue done in the sea is different from that in swimming pools, as factors including the depth of the water, current, and weather changes could increase the risk.

As such, one should not enter the water empty-handed, but first call out to the individual and use lifebuoys or other equipment to assist in the rescue.

The police will be charging a 27-year-old man in court on Aug. 7, 2026, for insulting the religion of another person.

On Mar. 1, 2026, the police received a report concerning the man, who had uploaded videos of himself on social media in which he made insulting and profane remarks against the Muslim community in Singapore.

Officers from Tanglin Police Division subsequently established the man’s identity.

However, he had already left Singapore before the police report was lodged.

With the assistance of the Royal Malaysia Police, the man was deported from Malaysia on Aug. 6 and was arrested by the police upon his arrival in Singapore on the same day.

The man will be charged in court on Aug. 7 with the offence of insulting the religion of another person under the Maintenance of Religious Harmony Act 1990.

The offence carries a jail term of up to five years, or a fine, or both.

The man is also assisting in police investigations into a separate incident involving a video that was circulating on social media, which shows a man stepping on the Quran.

The video is believed to have been filmed on a public bus in Singapore.

On Mar. 7, 2026, the police issued five Disabling Directions under the Online Criminal Harms Act 2023 to Meta to disable access to the offending content by end-users in Singapore.

The police said they take a serious view of acts that threaten racial and religious harmony in Singapore.

Any person who makes remarks or acts in a manner that can cause enmity, hatred, ill-will or hostility between the different racial or religious groups in Singapore will be dealt with swiftly and firmly in accordance with the law.

“Every time I look at you I don’t understand

Why you let the things you did get so out of hand

You’d have managed better if you had it planned

Now why’d you choose such a backward time in such a strange land?”

These lines are sung by the actor portraying a pivotal role in the cultural and artistic phenomenon, the musical “Jesus Christ Superstar (JCS)”.

But instead of being sung by Jesus, who is more of an enigmatic figure in the musical, they are given to Judas Iscariot, with the musical presented through his perspective. .

A rogue so vilified throughout the centuries that his name has become synonymous with betrayal, in JCS, Judas is re-imagined as a man struggling with the growing popularity of his friend and leader Jesus in the Roman territory of Judaea.

A game-changer

JCS burst onto the scene in the 1970s as a concept album and then a full-blown rock opera, taking inspiration from the New Testament of the Bible, specifically the first Four Gospels.

Written by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber, this alternative interpretation allows the time-honoured story of Jesus’s life to be viewed through a new lens.

As the musical moves from milestone to milestone in the final week of the life of the Messiah, it is the motivations and inner feelings of the characters that make the story feel different.

Mary Magdalene is portrayed as a former sex worker (historically doubtful) who is genuinely in love with Jesus. Pontius Pilate is depicted as a harried government official who does not want to sentence Jesus to death, but is swayed by the angry mob.

The Disciples get less focus, and a less flattering portrayal than they are remembered in posterity. Jesus himself has a powerful, moving song in “Gethsemane”, where he expresses his exhaustion, fear and doubt about his trials and ordained role in God’s plan.

As for Judas, instead of a stereotypical cartoon villain, he is portrayed as someone beset by genuine concern that Jesus’s movement would attract the attention of the ruling Roman regime, and result in bloody backlash against his people.

The musical boasts a stunning range of performances, from Judas’s dark musings in “Heaven on Their Minds”, Mary’s soulful vocals in “Everything’s Alright”, Jesus’s heavy metal wail in “Gethsemane” and even King Herod’s comical, jaunty little number in his self-titled song.

The growing conflict between Judas and Jesus is its heart; stripped bare of its religious and cultural links, it becomes a story that anyone can find familiar.

Haven’t you had a strong, principled disagreement with someone you considered a friend? What would you do if your friend continued on a path you considered reckless, causing danger not just to others, but to himself?

Judas’s betrayal sets the climax of the musical into motion. Both Judas and Pilate are bewildered at Jesus’s serene acceptance of his own death, which marks the end of the tale.

It is a story told countless times before, but somehow leaving you with more questions than before you sat down.

Musical mavens

Regardless of the subject matter, JCS is an immensely catchy musical production in its own right.

Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s partnership is legendary in the musical world, responsible for blockbuster hits like “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”, “Evita” and the 2011 stage adaptation of “The Wizard of Oz.”

For the Singaporean production, I am thrilled to see that local talents Tabitha Nauser and Frances Lee will share the role of Mary Magdalene, who gets ample opportunity to shine in the musical.

I can already see the audience tearing up during the heart-rending ballad “I Don’t Know How to Love Him”, arguably Mary’s best moment in the entire production.

History and controversy

JCS broke new ground in the 1970s, following a decade of counterculture hits of the stage which in turn followed simple, straightforward love stories of the 1950s.

No discussion of JCS is complete without addressing the controversy surrounding its religious elements and departure from the traditional interpretation of the Gospels.

Religion is of course a very sensitive topic, particularly in Singapore, where religious harmony is protected by the law. Back in 1974, Singapore’s Board of Film Censors banned the 1973 film version of JCS, stating that it “distorts the history of Christianity and is objectionable to followers of the faith.”

The 1973 film is noted for its particularly provocative imagery, with King Herod and the high priests performing shirtless and the setting of what appears to be a bunch of hippies staging a play in the middle of Israel and the occupied West Bank, including the Negev Desert, Avdat, Beit Guvrin’s Bell Caves, Beit She’an, the Dead Sea area, Herodium, and similar sites.

But the film was rated G (for general audiences) in America at the time. Following appeals, the movie was approved for screening in Singapore later that same year.

Several decades later, a new generation of Singaporean audiences will get the opportunity to watch the production. Instead of an automatic ban, the musical was given an Advisory 16 rating by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) out of religious sensitivities.

An artistic work

In its statement, IMDA noted that the musical does not purport to be a religious or doctrinal account, and audiences should keep this context in mind if they view the show.

The National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) also issued a statement, noting that the musical is an artistic interpretation of the final week of Jesus’s life, but leaves out key tenets of the Christian faith such as the Resurrection and Jesus’s divinity.

“Christians have diverse views about Jesus Christ Superstar. Some Christians regard its portrayal of Jesus as not only incomplete but also theologically problematic. Others have even taken offense because, in their view, the musical has blasphemously distorted the true identity of Jesus Christ.

However, there are still others who view the musical as an artistic work that provides opportunities for reflection, conversation, and even witness concerning the person and work of Christ.”

NCCS went on to say that it respects the decision of those who view the musical as deeply offensive to abstain from watching it, while encouraging those who wish to attend to engage with it in a critical and prayerful manner. Either way, it encouraged Christians to express their convictions about the musical responsibly.

The enduring popularity of JCS

Although not a Christian myself, I understand and sympathise with those who feel that any adaptation of the Bible, regardless of intent or content, is wrong.

But for those who are curious and wish to check out the production, whether they are Christian or not, I do believe the musical has immense artistic merit.

For me at least, it makes me reflect on the trials that Jesus and his followers went through, connecting it to the struggles of oppressed people in the present world, in many different countries.

It makes me question myself, if I was placed in a similar situation. How would I react? Would my inner convictions waver, or endure?

This is why I feel JCS has remained enduringly popular for more than 50 years since its debut. Its inspiration is timeless, but the questions it poses are universal, with any viewer able to appreciate the work regardless of their background.

Perhaps that’s why the production has been continually adapted over the years, updating the costumes and settings for modern times, and getting some genuinely big names like John Legend, Sara Bareilles and Alice Cooper for the 2018 production of JCS on Easter Sunday, Apr. 1, 2018.

I’m thankful to all who have helped in some way to bring the musical to Singapore, while also doing their best to respect the religious sensitivities and concerns involved.

I’ll be first in line at the ticketing booth, ready to be transported to a different time and place, but with all the challenges that persist in the modern day.

If you’d like to purchase your tickets, you can buy them either from Marina Bay Sands Ticketing or SISTIC.

The musical runs from Aug. 19 to Sep. 6, 2026 at Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands. Tickets are going for S$68 to S$208.

This branded article is brought to you by Base Entertainment Asia.