A multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) was seen engulfed in flames on the Tampines Expressway (TPE) at around 7:40pm on Jul. 30.

The fire appeared to have started at the bonnet, videos and photos shared online showed.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said the fire involved the engine compartment of the car and its firefighters extinguished the fire using a water jet and two hose reels.

No injuries were reported.

The car was seen completely on fire at one point.

Fire reached underside of viaduct

The flames from the combustion even reached the vegetation hanging from the underside of the viaduct.

Two police cars and a fire engine were seen at the scene.

The fire caused a congestion along the expressway towards Seletar Expressway (SLE), after the Kallang-Paya Lebar Expressway (KPE) exit.

The MyTransport app indicated that up to 13 bus services were delayed by up to 30 minutes.

A post on SGRV Front Man Facebook page claimed that the car on fire was a private-hire vehicle that was known for its decorations.

A woman said she and her parents were left vomiting in disgust after allegedly finding a cockroach in a cup of soybean milk from Alley Wei.

The alleged incident happened at the Taiwanese restaurant's Tampines Mall outlet around 2:40pm on Jul. 20.

In a Facebook post uploaded on the night of Jul. 25, Rhonda Tay recounted allegedly discovering the insect in her drink several days earlier.

In response to Mothership’s queries on the incident a spokesperson for Alley Wei said that they "[acknowledged] receipt of the feedback that has been posted online".

The spokesperson also said that they were aware that the customer had indicated she would post about the incident online if they did not "accede to her request for a public social media apology".

The alleged incident

On Jul. 20, Tay visited Alley Wei's Tampines Mall outlet to buy three cups of soybean milk for herself and her parents.

The family had been at the mall for a traditional Chinese medicine appointment and had the beverages at the nearby clinic.

Tay noted in her Facebook post that her parents do not usually remove the lids from their cups.

She, however, said that she habitually removes cup lids before drinking.

Tay's parents soon finished their drinks.

Just as Tay was about to finish her drink, she allegedly spotted what appeared to be a baby cockroach at the bottom of her cup.

The 42-year-old later shared a photo of the insect in her Facebook post.

The alleged discovery led her parents to wonder how many cockroaches they might have unknowingly consumed, Tay said.

The family decided to proceed with their TCM treatment before returning to the restaurant at around 5:50pm.

According to Tay, they approached the cashier at Alley Wei and "dug out the baby cockroach in front of her".

Tay claimed the cashier apologised and offered both a refund and a replacement drink, repeating the offer four times. She said she declined.

She added that while she understood frontline staff might not be "[trained] to communicate", she believed it was simple logic to immediately discard the allegedly contaminated food.

The issue was apparently raised to a supervisor, before a management executive was later involved.

24 hours to respond

In the Facebook post, Tay shared that she had rejected the outlet's alleged attempts to offer monetary compensation.

Instead, she apparently told staff that both she and her parents wanted a public apology across the company's social media platforms.

According to Tay, two members of the company's management team apparently contacted her, one claiming to be a supervisor and the other a management executive.

Tay also shared what she claims are messages exchanged between them.

In the screenshots posted on Facebook, Tay wrote that she had submitted feedback to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).

She also gave the outlet a 24-hour deadline to issue a public apology.

Tay told Mothership that she also repeatedly informed management during a call that she would not accept any refunds or private verbal apologies.

Tay also told Mothership that she had waited five days for the company to act, but was allegedly ignored.

She added that nobody had contacted her since Jul. 20.

Tay also told Mothership that both she and her parents vomited "for a good four days" due to what she described as mental disgust and “phobia”, rather than potential food poisoning.

She added that they did not seek medical attention for food poisoning, but that she was monitoring her parents' condition.

Alley Wei’s response

The spokesperson told Mothership that, as the beverage was purchased as a takeaway item and approximately three hours had elapsed before it was returned, they were unable to determine with certainty whether the "foreign object" came from their establishment.

"With regard to the foreign object found in the drink, as the beverage was purchased as a takeaway item and approximately three hours had elapsed before it was returned to us, we are unfortunately unable to conclusively determine whether the foreign object originated from our establishment.

We do monthly pest controls and do cleanings diligently and frequently. As such, while we take the customer’s feedback seriously and have conducted the necessary internal checks, we are unable to verify the source of the foreign object with certainty."

The spokesperson also told Mothership that they personally spoke with the customer over the phone to better understand her concerns before the matter was escalated publicly.

During the conversation, according to the spokesperson, the customer repeatedly emphasised that her primary issue was with what "she perceived" to be the rude attitude of their kitchen staff during the interaction.

After conducting an internal review and discussions with the staff involved, Alley Wei reportedly concluded that the staff did not intend to be rude or dismissive.

The spokesperson added:

"They attempted to address the customer’s concerns by offering several forms of resolution, including replacing the item and other proposed remedies. However, these were repeatedly declined by the customer.

As the available options continued to be rejected, the staff eventually asked the customer how she would like the matter to be resolved, in an effort to understand what outcome she was seeking.

We believe this may unfortunately have been perceived by the customer as being rude, when the staff’s intention was to find a resolution that would be acceptable to her".

According to the spokesperson, Alley Wei had offered the customer a full refund and compensation in an effort to resolve the matter amicably.

The spokesperson also said they suggested arranging for the staff involved to apologise to the customer in person, as they understood that her main concern was the interaction with their staff.

Both offers were apparently declined.

According to the spokesperson, issuing a public statement, as requested by the customer, was not something they believed to be appropriate or proportionate.

"[The] customer maintained that the only acceptable resolution would be for our company to publish a public apology on our social media platforms.

While we fully acknowledge the importance of taking responsibility for any service lapse and have apologised sincerely to the customer, issuing a public statement on our social media for an isolated customer complaint is not a course of action that we believe is appropriate or proportionate from a professional and corporate standpoint".

The spokesperson told Mothership that they have since counselled the staff involved and reinforced the importance of maintaining professionalism and appropriate customer service standards at all times.

They have also reportedly reminded their team to handle customer concerns with empathy and courtesy, regardless of the circumstances.

The spokesperson said:

"Given that the customer has already chosen to publicise the matter despite our attempts to resolve it privately, our recommendation would be to allow the situation to subside naturally unless there are any further developments requiring our attention".

SFA statement 

In response to Mothership queries on the incident, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said that they are looking into the matter.

SFA added that as part of the enquiry and gathering of evidence, they may engage the feedback provider for more details and will not hesitate to take enforcement action if sufficient evidence has been obtained.

"Food safety is a joint responsibility. While SFA puts in place and enforces the regulatory measures, food operators must play their part by adhering to good food hygiene and preparation practices. Food operators should also ensure their premises are clean and well-maintained. Members of the public who have concerns about food safety practices by food operators should report to SFA via the online feedback form."

Days after AI-generated National Day banners in Bedok sparked controversy, design inconsistencies on another decorative banner has been called out.

A poster featuring a child holding a Singapore flag with the stars and crescent in the wrong orientation was flagged.

Other flags featured, however, were accurately depicted.

Photos of it have circulated on Facebook and Reddit, with commenters questioning whether the error was a result of AI generation, and why it was not checked before the poster was put up.

Person who submitted photo responds

An Instagram user claimed to have submitted the original photo for the banner.

Included in their Jul. 25 post was a photo that appeared to be the same one used in the banner, except that the flag featured the stars and crescent in the correct orientation.

The user wrote in the caption: "How did the AI NDP [National Day Parade] poster error happen?" .

The user added:

"The images we selected and edited were with the right Singapore flag orientation, but the outcome was not as expected!"

Submitted photo

Speaking to Mothership, the user explained that when they shot the photos for submission, they wanted to capture the children's "genuine and unique friendship formed".

"Our children were so excited to see their faces printed, but this well-intended initiative took a wrong turn with the online community."

Not AI error: Town council

The Pasir Ris-Changi Town Council shared that the photo used in the banner was submitted by a resident to a National Day photography contest, Lianhe Zaobao reported.

The contest was aimed at encouraging residents to share their treasured memories, engage in social cohesion, and participate in National Day celebrations.

On the error, the town council explained that in the final stage of designing the banner, one of the flags from the original image was incorrectly edited such that the flag was facing the wrong direction.

They admitted that the error should not have happened, and accepted full responsibility for it.

They also clarified that AI image generation was not used at all throughout the creation and editing of the banner.

The affected banners have been removed, and the town council will reach out to apologise to the families who sent the original photo.

The town council said it is currently reviewing its design and review processes, and will improve quality control measures to prevent similar incidents from happening again.

It will continue to present Singapore's national symbols with care and respect, it added.

Errors spotted on other banners

Mothership previously reported about National Day banners in Bedok North that featured a flag sans stars and crescent.

The Kampong Chai Chee Community Club (CC) clarified on Jul. 21 that the banners were created by resident volunteers who were "not aware that the AI-generated banner contained inaccuracies".

On Jul. 25, another banner surfaced on Facebook with users pointing out a grammatical error.

Instead of "61st", it read "61th birthday".

Some commenters wondered if the mistake might have come from reusing a template from the previous year.

The part of the design that includes the error was also seen on a different National Day banner.

A 24-year-old male motorcyclist died following an accident with a trailer truck on the Seletar Expressway (SLE).

The incident occurred on Jul. 29 on the SLE, in the direction towards the Central Expressway (CTE) and Tampines Expressway (TPE).

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said they were alerted to the accident at about 9:50am.

In photos circulating online, a red motorcycle was seen lying on its side on the road.

Emergency responders and an ambulance were present.

A blue police tent was seen on the road.

The motorcyclist was pronounced dead on site by SCDF paramedics.

Investigations are ongoing.

The Yio Chu Kang bungalow at the centre of a cheating case will be torn down and replaced by a suite of new houses in the next few years.

The property, located at 2F Gerald Crescent, used to belong to the late Chung Khin Chun, a widower who was cheated of S$1.1 million in assets by her former tour guide, Yang Yin.

In June 2025, the 31,882 square feet site was sold for S$22 million to local developer Teambuild Properties.

With a 999-year lease that began in 1879, it still has about 852 years left on its lease.

The new homes to be built on the land will have a mix of eight or nine detached and semi-detached houses, with indicative prices starting at S$7 million each, The Business Times (BT) reported.

The story behind the property

Chung first met the Yang during a trip to China in 2008.

A year later, Yang moved into her Yio Chu Kang bungalow, then brought his wife and two children to live there too in 2011.

Based on a will Chung wrote in 2010, she named him the sole beneficiary of all her assets, estimated at around S$40 million. She also gave him lasting power of attorney to manage her welfare and financial affairs.

However, in 2016, Yang was convicted of misappropriating S$1.1 million of her assets, and sentenced to a total of 11 years and two months' jail.

On Oct. 25, 2025, Chung passed away at the age of 98.

The bungalow, which also has a private garden and swimming pool, was initially listed for S$35 million in 2018, before the price was lowered to S$25 million in 2021 due to a lack of interest.

The final sale price of S$22 million thus came in well below the family’s earlier expectations.

New design

Kapa Design Co, a design and build firm, was appointed by Teambuild Properties to manage the project, BT reported.

The company's CEO told BT, "When we first looked at the site, we explored standard cluster housing layouts. But we quickly realised this unique plot of land deserved something far more thoughtful".

The plan is to divide the large site into three sections based on different nature-inspired styles: Cloud, Mist, and Forest.

Some design highlights include valley-like slopes, green terraces, cross-ventilation across the homes, and rooftop solar panels.

The project is awaiting approval by the authorities. Once it is approved, it will be launched in phases from the second quarter of 2027.

The Kapa CEO targets to have the project completed around the end of 2029.

Some employees of a beauty and wellness chain in Singapore, DNA Brands Co Pte Ltd, were found to have used high-pressure sales tactics to induce customers into making purchases they did not intend to make.

Following investigations, the chain has agreed to provide up to S$1 million in refunds to affected consumers, the Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore (CCS) said on Jul. 30.

DNA Brands operates beauty and wellness outlets across Singapore under the brand names The Mineral Boutique, Beautique, SAE-REN, Jingran, Harmonix, Allura and Comfeet.

"Coordinated set of pressure tactics"

According to CCS, investigations found that since 2023, an area manager and several staff members had been using a "coordinated set of pressure tactics" to induce consumers into making purchases they had no intention of making.

The tactics were "deliberate" and "calculated", CCS said.

For instance, staff would apply facial masks on consumers even after their treatments had ended, in an effort to keep them "trapped" in treatment rooms while sales pitches continued until they agreed to make purchases.

Staff would also ask consumers how many credit cards they had, ostensibly to check their eligibility for promotions.

In reality, they were assessing how much each consumer could spend, CCS said.

They would also check the CPF balances of elderly consumers, and would help them change their CPF withdrawal limits and direct them to nearby bank branches or ATMs to withdraw cash.

In at least one case, a consumer was pressured into using their CPF savings to pay for beauty packages and products.

CCS found that DNA Brands' directors did not personally direct or participate in these practices.

After investigations began, DNA Brands dismissed or suspended the staff involved and barred them from earning sales commissions.

The company also committed to ceasing unfair trade practices and putting in place stronger compliance measures, including formal disciplinary action against similar misconduct.

All DNA Brands-linked outlets will also prominently display a 14-day refund policy for customers going forward.

CCS said it will continue to monitor the matter and take further enforcement action if new complaints or unfair practices emerge.

CASE to administer refund scheme

Separately, DNA Brands will deposit up to S$1 million with an independent escrow agent to fund refunds for eligible consumers.

Consumers who purchased products or services from specified DNA Brands outlets from Jan. 1, 2023 onwards and experienced undue pressure or aggravating circumstances during their purchases may be eligible for a refund.

The amount refunded will vary depending on the individual circumstances of each case.

Those who believe they may have been affected can contact the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) to check their eligibility and submit a claim through these channels:

• Hotline: 6277 5100 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm)
• Online: https://complaints.case.org.sg

Alvin Koh, the chief executive of CCS, said consumers should never be made to feel "trapped" or "pressured" into spending money they did not intend to part with

"No one should ever feel that their retirement savings are at risk during a visit to a beauty salon," he added.

He said CCS does not intervene in every consumer dispute, and that cases involving wider consumer harm will be prioritised.

"Businesses must know that exploiting consumers through pressure tactics carries real consequences," he said.

A mobile phone caught fire on a bus, causing one person to sustain minor injuries.

The incident occurred on Jul. 27 at about 5pm at the bus stop facing Eu Tong Sen Street outside Clark Quay MRT station, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Was on bus

A member of the public told Shin Min that she saw a fire truck, a traffic police motorcycle, and a police car at the scene while on a bus passing by the bus stop.

However, he was unsure of what had happened.

Fire involved phone battery

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to a fire along Eu Tong Sen Street at about 4:55pm on Jul. 27.

The fire involved a mobile phone battery inside a bus.

The fire burnt itself out before SCDF's arrival.

One person was assessed for minor injuries but declined to be sent to the hospital.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

SBS Transit also said bus service 63 was travelling along Eu Tong Sen Street when a passenger's mobile phone suddenly caught fire.

The bus captain reportedly stopped the bus to handle the situation.

The fire was subsequently extinguished, and the captain apparently did not need to use the bus's fire extinguisher.

Emergency responders were contacted and arrived at the scene as a precautionary measure.

Affected passengers were subsequently arranged to be transfered to another bus to continue their journey.

A Malaysian man, 40, has been handed the murder charge for causing the death of his 18-month-old son in 2023.

The charge comes nearly three years after the infant was admitted to the emergency department by his father in the early morning of Sep. 13, 2023 with signs of abuse.

He died hours later, with police suspecting he had been sodomised before his death.

According to local media, initial samples collected as evidence proved insufficient to identify a suspect.

However, the latest investigations led to the baby's father and uncle's arrest, with the former found to be in possession of pornographic material.

New evidence also led to the case being reclassified as murder.

Initial signs of abuse

The infant's father, G Thevendhiran, brought his unconscious son to a hospital in Johor Bahru, Malaysia at about 1:18am on Sep. 13, 2023, reported The Star.

The victim later fell into a coma and died at 10:40am the same morning.

According to doctors, the death was caused by blunt force trauma to the abdomen.

The child was also found to have bruises on the waist, a bloated abdomen and swelling around the anus, leading to suspicions that he had been beaten and sodomised.

A police report was then lodged by a doctor in the hospital.

Insufficient evidence

The case was initially investigated as child neglect resulting in death, police said on Jul. 28.

13 individuals, including the victim's family members and babysitter, were interviewed and called in to assist with the investigation, according to New Straits Times.

However, the traces of fluid found around the baby's anus, believed to be semen, were deemed insufficient for analysis and comparison.

No suspect was arrested at the time, though police said investigations continued.

New evidence leading to arrest

Nearly three years later, further investigations led to the arrest of Thevendhiran, a customer service officer working in Singapore, as well as the infant's 35-year-old uncle on Jul. 18 and Jul. 22, respectively.

While the former had no prior criminal record, the latter was found to have 13 criminal and drug-related offences.

Police also confirmed he tested positive for cannabis in a urine screening test, though he has since been released and will be a prosecution witness.

Meanwhile, pornographic images and videos were discovered on Thevendhiran's phone.

According to the police, investigations pointed to the fact that he had sodomised his infant son.

Thevendhiran was identified as the primary suspect. In court, the prosecution alleged that he had killed his son sometime between 8:30am and 10am on Sep. 12, 2023 at a condominium in Johor, Malay Mail reported.

Thevendhiran was sentenced to a month's jail and a fine of RM3,000 (S$951) for the possession of obscene materials.

The sentencing for his murder charge was adjourned to a later date.

For murder, he could face the death penalty or a maximum of 40 years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane.

A man in Singapore, who was caught on video kicking and assaulting a woman in Lucky Plaza, has been sentenced to three weeks in jail.

The 47-year-old pleaded guilty on Jul. 29 to two charges of voluntarily causing hurt to his then-girlfriend.

According to Shin Min Daily News, the man, who had been drinking at the time, had become angry after thinking the victim, 34, was contacting her ex-boyfriend.

A gag order has been placed on the identities of both the man and the victim to protect the victim.

Resentful

The court heard that the pair had been dating since July 2024 and had frequent arguments during their relationship, with police intervening multiple times.

On Feb. 8, 2026, the man met the victim at Lucky Plaza and learned that the biological father of the victim's 15-year-old son had resumed paying child support.

This reportedly made the man resentful because he had previously provided financial assistance to the victim and her family.

Drank a bottle of whiskey

The two then went to a bar on the sixth floor for drinks, where the man drank a bottle of whiskey alone.

During this time, a female friend of the victim arrived and hugged and kissed the woman, which he found offensive.

When the victim asked him to buy drinks for her friend, he refused.

The victim left the bar after sensing his agitated state, Shin Min reported.

Suspected victim was contacting ex-boyfriend

The man later went out to find the victim and spotted her texting on her phone.

Thinking she was contacting her ex-boyfriend, he apparently "lost control" and attacked her.

He tried to snatch her phone and handbag, cornered her, hugged her tightly from behind, and even tried to push her into the elevator.

During the struggle, the handbag strap broke.

The victim eventually broke free and fled into a nearby store for help, but the man chased after her into the store.

After the two left the store, the victim took off her high heels and ran away.

The man, however, continued to pursue her, threatening to beat her and "smash her face".

The struggle continued with the man punching and kicking her hard on the back of the head, causing both of them to fall to the ground.

After getting up, the man again attempted to kick the victim in the face, but she managed to dodge in time.

Video went viral

The incident attracted a large crowd, with some people throwing shopping baskets at the man to stop him, while others stepped forward.

Some also helped the victim up and escorted her out of the mall.

Videos of the incident later circulated widely on social media.

Two days after the incident, the man reportedly called the victim multiple times, urging her not to report the crime and offering compensation.

However, the victim eventually reported the crime on Feb. 11 and underwent a medical examination at the police's advice.

Doctors confirmed that the victim had bruises and scratches on her right shoulder, left shoulder, right thigh, and left calf, Shin Min reported.

Assaulted same woman previously

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) said previously that their preliminary investigations revealed that the man had assaulted the same woman on Mar. 30, 2025.

SPF said they issued a 12-month conditional warning to the man on May 8, 2025, for voluntarily causing hurt in this incident.

This was done in consultation with the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC), police said.

However, as the man breached this conditional warning by allegedly committing additional offences against the same victim during the recent incident on Feb. 8, he was charged in court on Apr. 22, 2026, in relation to both incidents.

A netizen took to social media to complain about the presence of a group of NSmen on a public bus, but ended up getting slammed by other users instead.

The anonymous post, which was made on public Facebook group Complaint Singapore (Anonymous), featured a picture taken from within the bus of fellow passengers, including a number of uniformed NSmen.

The image was taken from the morning scene on board public bus route 192 near Jurong Camp, according to the caption.

"Pic doesn't do it justice," it wrote.

"Taking up our time boarding and alighting when Jurong Camp is so close by. Can't SAF do something to discourage this kind of disruptive behaviour??"

'Without them you don’t even have a country'

The comment section did not take to the complaint kindly, with most slamming the netizen for their lack of appreciation for NSmen.

"They are the citizens of Singapore and they serve the nation. If u not happy go take taxi," one wrote.

"Pls la. If without them u don’t even have a country, be it a bus," another said.

"So you are saying that our NSFs and NSmen should always route march to camp and back home instead of taking public transport?" 

Others also suggested the netizen walked to their destination instead.

"You should just walk. U are a pest to the environment."

"Not happy you can take a grab? Or you walk. Those boys are tired too."