A 28-year-old woman filed a false police report after she became upset that her boyfriend, a 60-year-old bus driver did not spend time with her while he was driving.

According to Shin Min Daily News, Tang Pei Si (transliteration from Mandarin) claimed to the police that her boyfriend had stolen money from her and assaulted her.

He was forced to stop the bus as a result, disrupting the passengers on the bus.

Tang pleaded guilty to one charge of filing a false report on Aug. 21, and was sentenced to four days in jail.

Tried to prevent him from leaving just before he started work

Investigations revealed that at the time of the false police report, on Oct, 6, 2024, Tang and her boyfriend had been dating for about 10 years.

Her boyfriend worked as a bus driver at Hougang bus interchange and would commute daily from Malaysia to Singapore by motorcycle.

If his shift was in the afternoon, he would bring lunch for Tang, as she faced financial difficulties, and eat with her at the interchange.

On the day of the incident, she arrived at the interchange at 2pm for him to bring her lunch. However, as it was raining, he only arrived at about 2:25pm.

After lunch together, he prepared to go to work. However, Tang pulled at his uniform and prevented him from leaving as she was angry that he did not have time for her.

In addition, prior to Oct. 6, 2024, Tang had just returned the S$400 that she had borrowed from her boyfriend. However, she regretted it and asked for it back as she wanted to spend the money on clothes and shoes.

Her boyfriend refused, which made her unhappy.

Boarded the bus he drove and made a scene

At about 2:43pm, Tang boarded bus service 112, driven by her boyfriend.

She sat on the front seat, but was ignored.

Tang became increasingly irate about being "abandoned" at the interchange and the S$400 and she subsequently called the police, claiming that the bus driver had stolen S$400 from her, hit her and twisted her left hand.

As a result of her report, her boyfriend was forced to stop the bus and wait for officers to arrive.

The three passengers onboard the bus also had to disembark and wait for the next bus.

She eventually admitted during police investigations that she had filed a false report due to a personal relationship dispute.

A Singapore Police Force (SPF) car caught on fire along the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE), resulting in two officers being sent to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

In a Facebook post, a vehicle was seen parked along the slip road into the Seletar Expressway (SLE) on Aug. 21.

The vehicle was engulfed in flames.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force later arrived and extinguished the fire.

In response to Mothership's queries, the SPF said that a police vehicle caught fire along BKE towards Woodlands, at a slip road into SLE on Aug. 21 at around 12:10am.

Two traffic police officers were patrolling when they noticed smoke emitting from the engine compartment, and they immediately evacuated.

The two officers, along with a member of the public, tried to put out the fire.

Both officers were then conveyed conscious to the hospital for smoke inhalation.

Mothership understands that both have been discharged.

SPF said the cause of the fire is under investigation.

After two Singaporean livestreamers released a sarcastic apology video in response to criticisms over a vulgarity-laced tirade on TikTok, one of them has released a video explaining her reaction.

On Aug. 21, Winnie Heng released a video on TikTok, acknowledging that her words were wrong and that she should have handled her emotions better.

Heng also explained her reaction, saying she was "extremely frustrated that day".

What happened?

During one livestream with fellow streamer Vadalene Eng, the pair had hurled vulgarities at some customers.

The customers allegedly cancelled orders around 3am for highly sought-after crystals.

The customers they called out allegedly snatched up six to seven items during the livestream, then tried to cancel four to five of them after it ended.

"Is that really fair to everyone who waited?" Eng asked.

Clips of the rant circulated on social media.

"Go out and get hit by a car," Heng said in Mandarin.

"I curse you from the bottom of my heart. From the bottom of Winnie Heng’s heart."

The duo also used a string of expletives directed at customers.

Sarcastic apology

Heng and Eng faced backlash over a sarcastic apology video they issued in response to criticism of the livestream.

In videos posted on the duo's joint TikTok account, both appeared to apologise to fans, with Heng even appearing to cry, before she revealed that the apology was fake.

"They want us to like that," Heng said, wiping her tears with a tissue while pretending to apologise to what she referred to as "C* people" for cancelling their orders.

She said sarcastically: "Why did I scold them? I should have gone home and [cursed them with a voodoo doll]. Why did I scold them in their face?"

Her response was met with laughter from Eng and another woman in the video.

"Scolded too much"

In her latest video, Heng admitted she had "scolded too much" during that livestream and should not have hurled vulgarities and cursed at the customers.

She added that "something happened that [she] could not control" and that it affected her mood during the livestream.

Heng said that particular livestream was "very different" from other livestreams as it was "like an auction".

She explained that there was only one piece per item, so it was emphasised before the livestream that customers should not place an order if they were not sure.

However, during the livestream, customers still placed orders only to cancel them.

Heng added that the cancellations affected the team, the merchants, and those who wanted to purchase the items but couldn't.

She admitted there was a reason for her anger during the livestream, but no excuse for expressing herself that way.

Heng concluded the video by saying she will "definitely make good improvements on [her] future vocabulary".

@vedawinfamI was extremely frustrated that day but that does not justify the things I said. Those words were wrong, and I take responsibility for them. I should have handled my emotions better. I’ll learn from this and do better moving forward. ❤️♬ original sound - vedawinfam

On Aug. 20 and 21, the pre-peak hour discount for SimplyGo Ez-Link and bank card transactions was not activated due to a configuration error.

The pre-peak fare scheme provides a discount of S$0.50 (or the fare itself, whichever is lower) for commuters who tap in at a rail station before 7:45am on weekdays.

Some netizens on Reddit had brought up the issue earlier, saying the discount was not reflected in their journeys despite adhering to the cutoff time.

About 210,000 journeys affected for each day

The incident was announced by SimplyGo in a statement on social media on Aug. 21.

According to SimplyGo, an average of 210,000 journeys were affected as a result of the error.

SimplyGo added that they had since resolved the issue and called on members of the public to contact their hotline if they had any further queries.

"Commuters will now see the correct fares, with the discount applied where eligible, in the SimplyGo app. This is the fare which will be charged," they wrote.

In response to Instagram users who commented asking for a refund SimplyGo reiterated that they could see the correct fare, as well as any eligible discounts in the app.

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A 46-year-old Malaysian teacher died after falling unconscious while resting at school.

According to Oriental Daily, Merina Chua, was resting at the elementary school at around 1pm when she was found unconscious.

She was taken to the hospital but remained unconscious until she passed away a few days later.

Chua had been teaching for close to 20 years.

Her passing was announced by the elementary school.

The school praised her for being a warm and caring person, who created countless memories for her students.

They further added that her dedication had become a wonderful memory for those she left behind.

When a fire broke out in his neighbour's flat, an 18-year-old Institute of Technical Education (ITE) student rushed to help extinguish the flames with a fire extinguisher.

He also rescued a grandfather and her grandson and let them stay in his house temporarily.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to a fire at Block 979B Buangkok Crescent at around 12:25am.

According to SCDF, the fire involved the contents of a bedroom in a second-floor unit and was extinguished using a water jet.

A person was conveyed to Sengkang General Hospital, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Call for help

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, the flat owner, 31-year-old Sang Ting (transliteration), said his elderly parents and 8-year-old son were home at the time.

Sang Ting said his father was resting on the bed when the electrical circuit near the window apparently malfunctioned and caused a fire.

Sang Ting's father was able to run out of the room quickly, and his mother ran outside to ask their neighbours for help.

One neighbour who responded to the call was 18-year-old Zhou Yiheng (transliteration).

Zhou knew Sang Ting and his family since he was a child, as their families were close.

Zhou told Shin Min Daily News that he was scrolling through his phone when he suddenly heard glass breaking and his neighbour's cries for help.

"I opened my door and found my neighbour asking for help. At the time, the area was filled with thick smoke. I knew there was an elderly man and a child still inside the unit, so I quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher, covered my nose and mouth with a wet towel, and ran over."

He then pushed the main door open and saw the elderly man and the young boy standing in the living room.

He quickly tried to put out the fire with the fire extinguisher, but it was too strong, so he had to leave.

Zhou said that the only thing on his mind was figuring out how to get his neighbours out of the unit safely.

Grateful

Sang Ting shared that several glass bottles fell to the floor and broke during the fire, injuring his father as he stepped on the broken glass. He was later taken to hospital for treatment, Shin Min Daily News wrote.

Sang Ting expressed his deep appreciation for his neighbours who came together and helped.

His parents and son later stayed at Zhou's house as they had known the family for nearly 20 years, he shared.

A woman who ran an animal shelter has died after being mauled to death by a dog in Hong Kong.

The body of the 33-year-old, named Wong Cho-yee, was found on the afternoon of Aug. 21, at the animal shelter in Ping Yeung Village in Ta Kwu Ling, Hong Kong media reported.

Dog had been brought in for adoption

CCTV footage from the animal shelter showed that at about 2pm, she had fed the dog, which weighed about 30kg, and tried to lead it into a cage.

However, the dog refused and attacked the woman for around a minute.

The dog was a one-year-old brought to the shelter by volunteers for adoption, according to the Assistant District Commander from the Hong Kong police, Chan.

There were six other dogs in the shelter at the time of the attack but they were all caged, Chan added.

Wong was found to have lacerations of "various degrees" on her head, jaw, neck and arms, as well as bite marks, following the attack.

She was the only one working at the shelter at the time of the attack and was the licensed person-in-charge of the shelter, Chan noted.

The dog involved in the attack will be taken away by Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) for observation, ChinaDaily HK reported.

Was a passionate dog lover

Hong Kong media ST Headline further reported that Wong's death came as a shock to friends and family.

She was described as a passionate dog lover, with one friend highlighting how she often volunteered to help stray dogs.

Prior to her death, she had put up a video in which she said she had sponsored five elderly dogs, with an appeal to the public for their adoption.

A friend described her as always helping strays and would always offer her help in temporarily taking in dogs.

She also held a pet first aid certificate and was currently studying courses on pet nutrition.

On Aug. 20, a 23-year-old Malaysian man was reported missing by his family after he did not return from lunch.

His mother, Qiqi Tan, posted an appeal on Facebook, hoping her son, Junying, would be found.

However, Malaysian media outlet Sinchew Daily reported that police confirmed that his body was found at an apartment building in Johor Bahru.

Tan wrote in another Facebook post, questioning why he would do such a thing.

“Even at this very moment, I still cannot understand why, at just 23 years old—with the best years of your life ahead of you, a car, a home, abilities and talents, and being described by everyone as such a gentle and well-mannered young man—you chose to end your life.”

Missing after lunch

Tan shared on Facebook that Junying had gone to lunch at 1pm on Aug. 20, where he suddenly disappeared "for no apparent reason.

He had left his workplace in Johor Bahru but had heard nothing from him, and his phone was also offline.

She added that there was no family argument or debt problems. Junying "simply went to work as usual" and last spoke to Tan at 1:53 pm, sounding completely normal.

A thoughtful and ambitious child

In a subsequent post, Tan described Junying as a "thoughtful and ambitious child", and they used to talk about "anything and everything".

However, once Junying started dating, Tan said she would only see him at the office, since they both worked in the same family business.

She also acknowledged that they had drifted apart, and made peace with the fact that he would be more invested in a relationship with whom he would spend the rest of his life.

She said she had gone through their messages and discovered they no longer shared the little things in their lives.

"It must be because I wasn’t good enough. I still don’t understand what I should have done to be the kind of good mother that children of your generation want.

Even at this very moment, I still cannot understand why, at just 23 years old—with the best years of your life ahead of you, a car, a home, abilities and talents, and being described by everyone as such a gentle and well-mannered young man—you chose to end your life.

You went to work normally that morning, everything seemed fine, and then suddenly, you disappeared."

Breakup

Speaking to reporters from Sinchew, Tan said she discovered her son had broken up with his girlfriend on the morning of Aug. 20.

She suspected he might not have been able to accept the breakup, which led him to jump off the building.

If you or someone you know is in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

National Mindline 1771: 1771

SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

Tinkle Friend: 1800-274-4788 (for primary school-aged children)

SHECARES@SCWO: Call: 8001 01 4616 | WhatsApp: 6571 4400 (for targets of online harms)

A crocodile sighting at Pandan Reservoir that led to the suspension of water activities has turned out to be fake.

The update was provided by PUB on its Facebook on Aug. 21.

In an earlier joint statement by PUB and the National Parks Board (NParks), the Singapore Rowing Association and Singapore Canoe Federation were informed to suspend all activities in the reservoir.

PUB added that in light of the false information provided, it had ceased search operations and made a police report.

Indonesian police arrested 197 people, including two Singaporeans, in a raid on an illegal casino in Batam.

The raid took place on Aug. 15 at Nine Stage Lounge and Bar at about 9:30 pm, according to Batam Today.

Officers surrounded the building

According to Shin Min Daily News, the operation involved dozens of armed officers surrounding the building, which was made up of around 20 shophouse units.

According to nearby residents, the ground floor had long housed arcade gaming machines, with the casino operating on the second and third floors.

Officers spent about three hours at the scene before concluding their investigations and escorting the suspects into police vehicles.

Three months of investigation

Deputy Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Indonesian National Police, Inspector General Nunung Syaifuddin, told Batam Today the raid was carried out following an in-depth investigation lasting two to three months, based on public reports of alleged gambling at the location.

He said investigators were still interrogating those who had been detained, including managers suspected of playing significant roles in the gambling operation.

Who was arrested

Of the 197 people detained, 96 were gamblers. 10 of those were foreigners: seven Chinese nationals, two Singaporeans and one Malaysian. The rest were Indonesian citizens.

The remaining 101 were the owner, two managers, five cashiers, one supervisor, 25 chip exchangers, 65 dealers and two marketing staff.

S$520,731 in three safes

Nunung said police seized three safes containing 7.29 billion Rupiah (S$520,731).

Police are investigating those arrested for organising illegal gambling, and are also examining whether money laundering was involved.

Those convicted of gambling offences face up to 15 years' jail.