Four men, aged between 28 and 45, are slated to be charged on Jul. 29 for their suspected involvement in providing a modified foodpanda application and local accounts to foreigners to facilitate illegal platform work.

No need to take real-time selfie

Preliminary investigations revealed that the modified application apparently allowed foreigners to bypass real-time verification checks by uploading a photo of the account owner instead of taking a real-time selfie to log onto the platform.

This purportedly enabled foreign unauthorised users to impersonate the actual account owners and operate accounts that did not belong to them for illegal work.

The foreign unauthorised users were allegedly found to have paid fees around S$50 to S$120 per week to use the modified application.

They were apparently also given instructions on how to install and use the modified application to impersonate the actual account owner and accept job assignments via the food delivery platform.

Acting on information from the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), the police subsequently arrested the four men.

Penalties

According to the Singapore Police Force (SPF), it is illegal for foreigners to enter into platform work arrangements with platform operators, or to impersonate local platform workers and perform work using their accounts.

The four men will be charged with the offence of access with intent to commit cheating.

The offence carries a jail term of up to 10 years, a fine not exceeding S$50,000, or both.

MOM will also be investigating foreigners who worked illegally as platform workers for offences under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act (EFMA).

A foreign domestic worker has been sentenced to life imprisonment for suffocating her elderly employer in his Bishan unit after he questioned her about stealing jewellery from his wife.

On Jul. 29, Sumiyati, a 53-year-old Indonesian national, pleaded guilty to one charge of murder causing the death of a 73-year-old man, and the judge convicted her of the offence.

In her mitigation plea, read to the court by her lawyer, she claimed that she was hypnotised by the black magic of a person in Indonesia around the time of the offence.

Sumiyati was in tears in court.

However, when the judge asked if the murder was a voluntary act she committed on her own, Sumiyati said "yes" through her lawyer.

Took care of the deceased

Sumiyati was employed by the deceased's family at the time of the incident on Apr. 28, 2022.

She was hired by the deceased man's daughter in September 2019 to take care of him.

The deceased used a wheelchair due to mobility issues.

Her other responsibilities included cleaning and cooking.

From then up to the day of the offence, she was living with the deceased, his wife, and his daughter, in their unit at Block 222 Bishan Street 23.

According to the prosecution, she had no complaints about her employers.

The accused said the deceased was caring and gentle to her.

The family in turn was satisfied with her performance.

When her contract was due to expire in 2022, Sumiyati had wanted to leave and return to Indonesia, but the deceased persuaded her to stay.

She agreed as she needed money to support her young children.

Theft

On separate occasions between Apr. 12 and 21, 2022, Sumiyati stole three gold rings, one gold bracelet, and a pair of gold earrings from the deceased's wife, knowing they were stored in an unlocked drawer.

She sold the items at a nearby pawn shop for cash.

When the deceased's wife confronted her, she handed over the pawn tickets and said she will redeem the loss in June or July 2022.

The family decided not to lodge a police report after the deceased asked them to give her another chance.

To date, Sumiyati has made no restitution to the wife for the stolen jewellery, valued at about S$1,470.

The murder

On the afternoon of Apr. 28, 2022, the deceased started questioning Sumiyati about stealing jewellery from his wife for about 30 minutes.

She felt angry about being accused of theft and about his incessant nagging, and was afraid of being reported to the police.

She weighed several options of killing the deceased, including stabbing and strangling him, but eventually decided on suffocating him with a pillow.

This way, she would not have to see his face and feel bad when killing him.

She also thought that it would not leave injuries on his body, and others might believe he died naturally due to his old age if there were no injuries.

She covered his face with a pillow and suffocated him for about 30 minutes.

She then packed her belongings, stole S$70 cash, two phones, and a pair of earrings belonging to the deceased's wife. She later pawned one of the phones for S$20.

The deceased was discovered unconscious in the unit by his wife, who called an ambulance. He was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

Sumiyati was arrested by the police the next day.

Allegedly victim of scams

In the mitigation plea, Sumiyati's lawyer told the court that she suffered a few failed marriages, the first of which she was subject to domestic violence by her ex-husband.

He added that she grew up in a village in Indonesia, and has little command of English.

She spoke through a Bahasa Indonesia interpreter and her lawyer in court.

She was only educated in primary school up to the age of 14, having to leave school due to her family’s financial situation.

She also claimed to have been a victim of scams by three different men in Indonesia.

She was attached romantically to the first man even though she never met him and only spoke to him over the phone. Promising to marry her, he got her to transfer 25 million rupiah (S$1,790) to him, then stopped contacting her.

Sumiyati later met another man she was convinced had spiritual powers in black magic, and she transferred 60 million rupiah (S$4,295) to him to help her make the first man marry her.

In court, the judge clarified repeatedly whether Sumiyati's claim that she was hypnotised by this man's black magic to kill the deceased was not suggesting that she was acting involuntarily.

In other words, the murder was a voluntary act of her own initiative.

Through her lawyer, Sumiyati affirmed this.

The prosecution accepted that it was Sumiyati version of the events that she was scammed, but argued that these allegations are background facts "far removed" from the thefts, the motivation of the killing, and the actual killing itself.

Sentencing

In her sentencing, the judge took into consideration that a psychiatric report by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) previously assessed Sumiyati to not have an intellectual disability and was not of unsound mind during the offence.

A doctor had diagnosed her with borderline intellectual functioning, but the judge and prosecution argued that it does not go to the issue of guilt over the offence.

In considering whether to mete out the death penalty, the judge said the degree of planning was limited — Sumiyati had hatched the plan spontaneously that afternoon after becoming angry at being falsely accused.

While the judge called the murder a "horrific tragedy", she noted it was not a case where the accused could be said to have exhibited viciousness or a blatant disregard of human life deserving of death.

She ultimately sentenced Sumiyati to life imprisonment backdated to the date of her remand on Apr. 30, 2022.

Sumyati's lawyer said he was informed by her to "extend her greatest apologies to the family of the victim", and that she seeks their forgiveness.

I'm not afraid to admit it: I'm a GrabCoins hoarder.

For the uninitiated, GrabCoins (formerly known as GrabRewards points) are earned when you make purchases or bookings through the Grab app. Every 500 GrabCoins is worth S$1.

As someone who regularly orders GrabFood while working from home and takes Grab rides to work events, I've managed to accumulate quite a stash over the years.

A week ago, I decided to check my GrabCoins balance by tapping the coins icon in the top-right corner of the homepage.

And what did I find? A whopping 184,368 GrabCoins, with 182,996 of them due to expire by Jul. 31, much to my horror.

Talk about catching it just in time.

GrabCoins now expire after six months

From Jul. 31, 2026, GrabCoins are now subject to a six-month rolling expiry policy.

That means it’s time to stop hoarding and spend them monthly because your GrabCoins expire six months from the month you earn them.

I had completely forgotten that most of mine were expiring at the end of July.

Needless to say, it was time to start putting them to use.

Apart from your balance and expiry date, the GrabCoins page also lists all the available redemption options.

Most people know you can use GrabCoins to offset the cost of Grab rides and GrabFood orders.

But there are plenty of other ways to redeem them too.

For instance, you can exchange your GrabCoins for vouchers at retailers such as 7-Eleven and Sheng Siong, as well as food outlets like Subway and Paris Baguette.

For example, I can redeem a S$5 voucher with just 2,900 GrabCoins.

Another fun way to use your GrabCoins is to enter lucky draws — for example, you can spend 50 GrabCoins for a chance to win an Apple Watch. You know I'll be taking those chances.

Not bad.

If you've been hoarding GrabCoins like I have, you can also redeem bigger rewards, such as a S$20 IKEA gift card for 10,500 GrabCoins.

Or, if you're saving up for your next holiday, you can convert your GrabCoins into KrisFlyer miles too, such as 2,000 KrisFlyer miles for 26,000 GrabCoins.

And if you really wanna get more bang for your buck, there are also monthly GrabCoins Flash Sales that start on the 15th of every month, where selected vouchers — such as S$10 off GrabFood or Grab rides — can be redeemed for almost half the usual number of GrabCoins.

Some vouchers are discounted by up to 60 per cent during the Flash Sale as well. So mark your calendars.

How I earned so many GrabCoins

If you're wondering how I managed to accumulate more than 180,000 GrabCoins, there are quite a few ways to do so.

Normally, they can be earned through everyday transactions such as booking rides, ordering GrabFood or GrabMart, or using PayLater by Grab.

But there are also bonus earning opportunities, such as hosting a group order or ordering from merchants found only on Grab that can get you five per cent back in GrabCoins.

Another great way to earn coins is booking a table on Grab Dine Out to get 1,000 GrabCoins. You can find the full list of bonus “boosters” at the GrabCoins homepage in the app.

Just remember that your GrabCoins expire at the end of every month, six months after you’ve earned them.

So check your balance regularly.

Otherwise, you might find yourself panic-redeeming all your GrabCoins like I did or with no coins to redeem at all. (Although I can't complain about effectively getting free Grab rides for two weeks straight.)

This branded article by Grab made this writer go on a GrabCoin-redeeming spree.

Former People's Action Party Member of Parliament Lim Soo Peng has died at the age of 97.

Lim, who was an MP for Havelock in the 1960s and 70s, passed on Jul. 27, according to an obituary by the Straits Times.

In a Facebook post, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong paid tribute to Lim, and said that he was "saddened to learn of" the news.

"As MP, Mr Lim worked hard to improve the living conditions of his residents, laying the foundations for the area’s subsequent urban transformation," PM Wong said.

After his retirement from politics, Lim devoted himself to serving the community, serving as a Home Team volunteer for 55 years.

The former Justice of the Peace also supported inmates and those undergoing rehabilitation in prisons and drug rehabilitation centres.

He advocated for their welfare and eventual reintegration into society.

Lim "believed in listening to people, understanding their circumstances, and giving them a second chance", wrote PM Wong.

"Mr Lim exemplified a lifetime of service and quiet dedication to others. Singapore owes pioneers like him a deep debt of gratitude."

Home Team volunteer

In a 2022 interview with the Ministry of Home Affairs, Lim spoke about his 55 years of volunteerism, which led to him receiving the Public Service Medal and the Public Service Star in 1997 and 2001 respectively.

As a volunteer, he would visit prisons and hold dialogue sessions with inmates to gain insights into the issues they were facing.

He then highlighted these to the authorities.

Lim said he hoped to see the enhancement of Singapore's efforts to reintegrate ex-offenders back into society.

He added:

"Personally, perseverance and commitment to the ideals of public service are what have kept me here for the long haul.

It’s in my nature to keep working and volunteering, regardless of my age, as I believe in lifelong work."

Lim was also the Founder, Chairman and Managing Director of listed company Chemical Industries (Far East) Ltd, from which he retired as Emeritus Chairman in July 2025 at the age of 96.

A TikTok post that linked a fitness instructor to the resignation of the former Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Faishal Ibrahim has been taken down following an order from the Online Safety Commission (OSC).

The TikTok post included a screenshot of a Telegram message which falsely alleged that a female fitness instructor was "the one who caused MP Faishal to resign".

OSC received report regarding TikTok post, other content

Responding to Mothership's queries, an OSC spokesperson confirmed that it received a report in relation to the matter on Jul. 28.

It said that, among other content, the report referenced the TikTok post.

“Following assessment of the report and determination that online harmful activity had taken place, the OSC took action in relation to the post, which was no longer available as of [Jul. 28] evening,” said the spokesperson.

The spokesperson also said that the OSC is currently looking into other content identified in the report and will take appropriate action where necessary.

The OSC began operations on Jun. 29 and serves as a one-stop agency to help victims of online harms seek recourse.

Untrue allegations

The fitness instructor, Rasidah Caudal, took to Instagram on Jul. 27 to deny the allegations.

She shared a screenshot of a Telegram message that claimed she was "the one who caused MP Faishal to resign".

The same image was posted on TikTok on Jul. 26.

Caudal called the allegations "untrue" and said in the caption of her Instagram post that she had been "wrongfully accused".

"I would like to take the occasion to categorically reject these accusations," she said.

She told Mothership that she "will not hesitate to take legal action" against anyone spreading the false rumours.

The new Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Zaqy Mohamad also stepped forward to defend Caudal in a Facebook post.

"It reminds us to be careful with our words and responsible with what we share. Before passing on a claim, let us pause, verify the facts and remember that a few clicks online can cause deep hurt to innocent people," Zaqy wrote.

Six men, aged between 18 and 27, will be charged in court on Jul. 29, 2026, for rioting.

This comes after the police arrested seven men, aged between 18 and 33, for their suspected involvement in a case of rioting that left one 48-year-old man injured.

Investigations are ongoing against the remaining 33-year-old man.

The police said in a press release on Jul. 28 that they were alerted to a fight at Block 243 Yishun Ring Road at about 8pm on Jul. 24.

Officers subsequently found a man with injuries at the car park near the block.

The 48-year-old man sustained head and body injuries and was conveyed unconscious to the hospital.

The police established the identities of the persons involved and arrested them between Jul. 25 and 28 through follow-up investigations and with the aid of images from police cameras.

The offence of rioting carries a jail term of up to seven years and caning.

"The police will not tolerate such brazen acts of violence and blatant disregard of the law. We will spare no effort to apprehend those responsible and deal with them in accordance with the law," they said.

Attack

A 57-year-old resident previously told Shin Min Daily News that he had seen a group of people gathered near the car park, and suspected that a quarrel or fight had broken out.

Another resident, 18, recounted hearing sounds of fighting from below his unit and went to his window to look, where he saw a man being surrounded and allegedly beaten by several others.

The man had apparently fallen to the ground and could not get up, while his attackers kept hitting and kicking him.

A pool of blood was later seen on the ground near the motorcycle parking area, along with scattered debris, a detached shoe sole, and several cigarette butts nearby.

Singapore Airlines (SIA) reported a S$76 million net loss for the three months ended Jun. 30, 2026, even though the total revenue went up by 19.3 per cent to reach a record S$5.71 billion.

It is the national carrier's first quarterly deficit since ​the pandemic ​ended, according to Reuters.

For the same quarter the previous year, the airline recorded a net ​profit ⁠of S$186 million.

In a statement on Jul. 28, the Singapore Airlines Group attributed the loss to surging jet fuel prices due to the Middle East conflict, and a higher share of losses from Air India, in which it holds a 25.1 per cent strategic stake.

Strong demand for air travel

The airline was able to achieve its record revenue largely because of "robust demand for air travel", the group explained.

Over the quarter, passenger revenue went up 18.6 per cent to S$4.58 billion.

SIA and Scoot carried a record 10.9 million passengers, 6.3 per cent more than the previous year.

Cargo revenue also grew by 33.5 per cent, or S$178 million, to hit S$708 million.

High fuel spending

However, SIA's expenditure during this period rose at the same time, by 27.9 per cent to S$5.61 billion.

Most of it is accounted for by fuel.

The airline spent S$2.25 billion on fuel, a surge of 78.5 per cent.

The group shared that jet fuel, typically priced on a lagged basis, more than doubled in cost over the quarter due to the Middle East conflict.

"While SIA and Scoot have adjusted air fares and cargo rates to help mitigate this, these measures do not fully offset the impact of significantly higher fuel prices," the group said.

This ultimately led the airline to record a S$299 million, or 73.8 per cent, drop in operating profit, to S$106 million.

Higher share of losses from Air India

Another factor that contributed to the net loss is the S$42 million losses from its share in Air India.

The Indian flag carrier posted a net loss of 222.38 billion rupees (S$3 billion) for the financial year ended March 2026, nearly double the previous year's 108.59 billion rupees (S$1.46 billion), CNA reported.

The airline's turnaround could take up to a decade, longer than previously projected, said the chairman of Tata Sons, which owns Air India, in a Jul. 27 annual report.

It faces several challenges including persistent supply-chain disruptions in key components, the need to overhaul legacy systems, culture, and fleet, and the need to build a larger technical and airline workforce.

SIA Group assured that, against the backdrop of this net loss, it will "continue to seize growth opportunities, leveraging its well-diversified global passenger and cargo network".

Related stories

A woman who was dismissed during her probation period has been awarded S$30,000 by the Employment Claims Tribunal.

Tribunal Magistrate Joel Tan found that her employer had not proven she fell below its own performance standards, according to a grounds of decision published on Jul. 28.

The woman had been hired as a regional internal control audit manager on Apr. 21, 2025.

Her gross monthly salary was S$11,500.

She was let go on Oct. 16, 2025, shortly before her six-month probationary period ended.

She was told her performance had not met the standards required for confirmation.

Her last day was Oct. 31, 2025.

Both parties are anonymised in the judgment.

What the employer said

The company maintained the dismissal was based solely on performance, pointing to a probation evaluation form in which the woman had scored 71 per cent against a required threshold of 80 per cent, and received an average competency rating of 2.4 out of five against a required three.

The company said the targets and goals had been clearly communicated to the woman.

Her side of the story

The woman raised three grounds for her claim.

She said the poor performance allegations were not substantiated, and that her inability to understand Korean had played a role in her dismissal.

She claimed that key discussions among senior colleagues were frequently conducted in Korean, excluding her from conversations that shaped performance expectations.

She also argued the dismissal was retaliation for what she described as “whistleblowing”.

She had raised concerns about a proposed restructuring of the company's internal audit function, which she believed created a self-review threat inconsistent with audit principles.

The woman, who had 15 years of audit experience, told the tribunal she had anticipated that her supervisor would find fault with peripheral matters rather than the quality of her audit work, and that she felt her supervisor was "evaluating [her] at the wrong side of the audit table".

What the tribunal found

On the competency ratings, the magistrate found that the reporting supervisor had given below-average ratings of two across six of 10 competencies, but never explained to the woman what she needed to do to pass, and had not carried out any of the periodic documented reviews that the company's own probation process required.

Critically, the justification column on the evaluation form was left entirely blank across every entry. The only explanations offered were given verbally at the hearing.

The magistrate found the oral justifications did not withstand scrutiny, describing them as the supervisor's impressions dressed up as a suitability review.

The same problems arose with the performance goals.

The woman received her first formal feedback on her performance goals on Oct. 16, 2025, the very same day she was told she had failed probation.

In one instance, the supervisor had doubled the weightage of a goal from 10 per cent to 20 per cent without telling the woman, after reassigning a separate task to another employee.

The magistrate concluded that an employer who never made its standards clear could not then use an employee's failure to conform to those standards as evidence that they were unsuitable, noting that not knowing a standard and being unable to meet it were two different things.

The tribunal ruled in her favour on the performance ground alone, which was sufficient to decide the case.

It found the language discrimination and whistleblowing claims unproven on the evidence.

The award

The tribunal found she would have remained employed for at least a further three months had she not been wrongfully dismissed, which would have placed the full award at S$34,500.

However, the prescribed claim limit constrained the award to S$30,000.

The magistrate awarded the maximum permissible sum, along with S$300 in costs and S$60 in disbursements.

A 61-year-old man allegedly slapped a woman twice and threw her stroller into a bush during a dispute outside a childcare centre in Tampines.

Police are conducting investigations.

The incident occurred on the morning of Jul. 24 at Block 878 Tampines Avenue 8, reported to Shin Min Daily News.

Two days of conflict

According to a nearby resident who spoke to Shin Min, the two had a dispute the evening before on Jul. 23 at around 6pm.

He heard a loud argument from downstairs and recognised the voice of his male neighbour.

He told Shin Min: "They argued for a while, and the man kept shouting loudly and hurled vulgarities at her. There was no physical contact then. However, the next morning I heard them arguing again, and this time the police were involved.”

The resident said he did not go downstairs the second time, but later ran into the woman and noticed she looked distressed.

She told him she had been slapped twice and had made a police report.

According to the resident, the woman had parked her stroller in the middle of the walkway in front of the childcare centre, which he believed may have obstructed the man's path and triggered his frustration.

The resident noted that the area is a busy spot where children often sit to change their shoes and parents gather to wait for their children after school.

However, he pointed out that it was not raining that day and the corridor was wide enough for people to pass.

"I think everyone should be considerate. There was no need for things to escalate like this, especially arguing loudly and using vulgarities in front of so many young children," he said to Shin Min.

Stroller thrown into bushes

The woman confirmed the incident to Shin Min when reporters visited the childcare centre on Jul. 27.

She said she did not know the man personally, and that he was not a parent of any child at the centre.

After the argument on Jul. 23, the man returned the next day.

He claimed the woman's stroller was blocking the walkway and threw it into a bush.

The woman told Shin Min that her child was so frightened by the incident that she was reluctant to go to school afterwards.

Sparkletots responds

A PCF Sparkletots Preschool spokesperson told Mothership that it was aware of the incident and was still gathering information, and was unable to comment further.

The centre added that it was fully cooperating with police investigations.

In photos published by Shin Min, a "No strollers allowed" sign was pasted on the window of the kindergarten.

In response to Mothership's queries, the police confirmed that they received a call for assistance at around 9:35am on Jul. 24 regarding a case of assault at Block 878 Tampines Avenue 8.

A 61-year-old man is currently assisting with investigations.

A video of people forming a human pyramid on the Singapore Flyer has made its rounds on social media.

The video which was posted on Instagram Stories, showed a group of 10 men in what appeared to be a capsule of the flyer.

It appeared to be taken by another individual within the same capsule.

Human pyramid

They were seen forming a human pyramid, where they stacked themselves on top one another.

One individual barely made it to the top of the pyramid, where he managed to stay for a few seconds before he fell off with the rest of the group.

A Mothership reader who wished to remain anonymous said he came across the video on social media and found their actions "disruptive and dangerous".

According to Singapore Flyer's website, one private capsule can fit up to 28 people.

Believed to be overseas visitors

Responding to Mothership's queries, Singapore Flyer said it is aware of the incident, which based on its records, took place shortly after 9pm on Jul. 26.

Based on the information available from the social media post, Singapore Flyer believes the individuals involved were overseas visitors.

It is concerned about the safety risks posed to the guests involved, as well as other guests within the capsule.

"We take this matter seriously as the safety and security of our guests and staff is our highest priority," said Singapore Flyer.

Does not condone behaviour compromising safety

It added that it does not condone behaviour that could compromise the safety of guests, staff, or others within the attraction.

"While no injuries were reported and the incident did not affect the safe operation of the Singapore Flyer, we encourage guests to capture memorable moments during their visit safely and responsibly," it said.

"We remain committed to providing a safe and enjoyable environment for all guests at Singapore Flyer and will review existing safety measures to assess whether additional reminders within the capsules would help reinforce responsible behaviour."