A man who was hoping to get a National Day Parade ticket scored a lucky break outside the National Stadium this afternoon (Aug. 9).

Speaking to Mothership, Abdul Jalil, who is in his 70s, attributed this kind deed to a random stranger.

Abdul said that it was his first time watching the parade, and that he had decided to take a chance by simply standing at the entrance of the Stadium MRT station and asking around for a spare ticket.

According to Abdul, he had asked around in both Malay and English, saying "Anybody, so kind if you got a spare ticket? I'd like to have one."

After asking a few people, a Chinese man approached him to give him one, saying, "Sir, this is for you."

"(That was) lucky. Otherwise, I would have to just watch the fireworks," he added.

Took a gamble

Abdul added that he had left home at about 2pm, and he had told his wife about his plan to take a leap of chance in asking around for a ticket.

"My confidence (to secure a ticket) was strong. You have so many people, a couple of thousand over here," he said.

He had also chosen the entrance of the MRT station facing Kallang Wave Mall due to the flow of people emerging from the station.

In addition, he was not the only person standing around asking for tickets; another old man had also been doing the same and was successful as well, with a lady giving him a ticket.

"This is Singapore. People are very nice regardless of what race they are or who they are. If they can help you, they help you," he said.

Abdul, who stays in Indonesia, added that he would be returning after settling some matters in Singapore.

"I want to bring back some memories," he said.

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The restaurant that cooked the wildlife brought to it after it was foraged from an intertidal area in Singapore has apologised for its involvement.

Havelock Palace posted a statement on Facebook on Aug. 8 confirming it had prepared and cooked the marine life that was brought to its restaurant after an internal review.

"We acknowledge that accepting and handling ingredients outside our approved sourcing channels did not meet the standards we expect of ourselves as a food establishment.

We take responsibility for this and sincerely apologise."

The restaurant added that it has since tightened its procedures by:

• tightening its food sourcing and receiving controls
• strengthening supplier documentation and traceability
• prohibiting food from unauthorised or unverified sources from entering the kitchen
• conducting refresher training for its management and kitchen teams on food safety and proper food handling

Havelock Palace also acknowledges that its earlier online responses to the situation did not "clearly explain the situation and may have caused further confusion".

"Havelock Palace is commited to upholding higher standards in food safety, responsible sourcing and the trust of our guests."

Intertidal foraging

In the Facebook group Complaint Singapore, one user shared on Jul. 13 screenshots and a video of a group of individuals gathering and foraging in an intertidal area with pails in hand.

The gathered wildlife was later laid out on a table in a restaurant kitchen.

They include a number of molluscs, including what looks to be fan clams and crabs.

Plates of cooked food were later seen on a dining table.

Pasir Ris-Changi GRC MP Valerie Lee, who is in charge of the Changi division, wrote in a Facebook post that she was "extremely disappointed" after watching the video.

Characterising the behaviour as "deplorable", Lee commented that it was not about the legality of it, but about a lack of respect.

The restaurant, which allegedly prepared and cooked marine life foraged by a group from the shores of Changi, has received numerous one-star reviews on Google Maps after the issue gained attention online.

In a Jul. 26 video, local science content creator Biogirl MJ, who hosts the educational platform Just Keep Thinking, commented on the incident, sharing that she had also left a review on the restaurant's Google Maps listing.

The group that organised the intertidal foraging at Changi beach has since been disbanded due to public pressure.

Following the viral video that drew a lot of backlash online, the group administrator deleted all his intertidal foraging videos from his account on Jul. 24.

In addition, he announced to the group that, to protect marine life, respect local laws and regulations and avoid causing inconvenience to members, he would be suspending all coastal foraging activities.

Foraging can have far-reaching consequences on ecosystem services

Karenne Tun, a Group Director at the NParks National Biodiversity Centre, previously said in response to Mothership's queries that NParks is aware of a social media post on intertidal foraging and "seeks the understanding of the public to protect our intertidal biodiversity".

According to Tun, NParks restricts the collection of animals from intertidal zones under its jurisdiction.

These zones include Sisters' Islands Marine Park, Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, Labrador Nature Reserve's rocky shore and Chek Jawa Wetlands.

For intertidal areas outside its jurisdiction, Tun says it focuses on public education on best practices and how visitors can interact responsibly with marine wildlife.

Tun also said, "The removal of wildlife from their habitats, including intertidal zones, harms our biodiversity and disrupts our ecosystems. Each species plays a unique role in its ecosystem, and their removal can have far-reaching consequences on ecosystem services such as pollination, seed dispersal and nutrient cycling."

"This in turn affects the ecological resilience of our natural habitats. Removing wildlife from their habitats also endangers their population, especially for species which are already threatened," she continued.

The public who are unfamiliar with marine wildlife species may also endanger their own safety, as they may not recognise poisonous, stinging, or venomous marine wildlife, Tun cautioned.

As the only female Colours Ensign in the 2026 National Day Parade (NDP),  Lam Hui Ling spent three months building the upper body strength to carry the 2m flag.

Speaking to defence magazine Pioneer, Lam shared that marching in the NDP Colours Party has been one of the highlights of her military career.

Trained as a nurse

Lam began her career in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in 2024, after switching from a career in nursing at Singapore General Hospital.

From there, she joined the SAF and chose to join the Army’s Medical Corps as a Special Project Officer.

“Joining the Medical Corps gave me the opportunity to continue serving the community in a military environment while applying and sharing the nursing skills and knowledge I had already gained,” she told Pioneer.

What is Colours Party?

The Colours Party consist of a phalanx of bright flags that march onto the stage, followed by six Guard of Honour contingents.

As a Colours Ensign, one move that Lam needs to perform is the lowering of Colours.

It is the most difficult move, as she would need to anchor the 4kg flag with her arms, elbows, shoulders, and back.

Lam shared that the road to NDP has not been easy as she sacrificed long days and many weekends, Pioneer wrote.

She could also depend on the other Colours Party participants for positivity and energy at every training session.

“I'm most looking forward to experiencing the energy and support of Singaporeans as we march onto the parade ground. I'm excited to give my best performance and play my part in delivering a memorable parade.”

Read the full story here and watch her tonight at the NDP.

The 28 public agencies that make up the government's Haze Task Force stand ready to roll out their respective haze action plans should air quality deteriorate into the unhealthy range when the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) exceeds 100.

Hotspots in Sumatra and Kalimantan

In a media release issued on Aug. 9, the National Environment Agency (NEA) noted that the 24-hour PSI had reached 81 in the central region of Singapore as of Aug. 9, 1pm.

This places it in the higher part of the moderate range, with values above 100 deemed "unhealthy."

The release noted that recent dry conditions have resulted in an escalation in the hot spot situation.

Hot spots and smoke plumes had been observed over parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan. Under prevailing south-easterly winds, smoke haze could travel towards Singapore, particularly from hot spots in the southern parts of Sumatra.

Such dry conditions are expected to continue in the coming week, which could increase the risk of haze should the fires persist.

Closely monitoring the situation

The NEA said it would continue to closely monitor the haze situation and provide further updates if the situation changed.

Should the 24-hour PSI enter the unhealthy range, it would also issue daily haze advisories.

Such daily haze advisories would include the 24-hrPSI forecast, which the public could use to plan activities and events for the next day.

Members of the public are advised to refer to the current 1-hr PM2.5 concentration as an indicator of current air quality.

When planning outdoor or strenuous activities over the next few hours, they were advised to use the 1-hr PM2.5-associated personal guide.

The 1-hr PM2.5 concentration level can be volatile and fluctuates throughout the day based on weather conditions, particularly during periods of transboundary haze.

Health advisory

The NEA warned that the impact of the haze on an individual was dependent on their health status, the 24-hr PSI level, and the duration and intensity of outdoor activities.

Reducing outdoor activities and physical exertion and drinking water to stay hydrated can reduce ill effects from haze exposure.

It is also advised that those with pre-existing chronic heart and lung conditions should ensure that medication is readily available.

Vulnerable persons, including the elderly, pregnant women, children, and those with chronic heart and lung conditions, who develop symptoms or feel unwell should seek medical attention promptly.

It advised the public to look for current air quality readings and advisories to protect public health at www.nea.gov.sg, www.haze.gov.sg, and using the myENV app.

Haze Task Force

The Government Haze Task Force is chaired by the NEA and is tasked with developing and implementing action plans to minimise and manage the impact of haze in Singapore.

Its member agencies have robust action plans in place, allowing for tiered responses depending on the intensity of the haze, which is determined by air quality readings and forecasts.

The 28 public agencies that make up the HTF are as follows:

The Haze Task Force usually convenes annually, usually before the start of the dry season in June, in order to update its plans.

However, in 2026, the Haze Task Force has convened twice so far:

At the end of January, when dry weather in East Johor caused heat and vegetation fires, resulting in some plumes of smoke from the fires drifting towards Singapore.

The taskforce also convened in April.

The Haze Task Force's release comes after the Singapore Institute of International Affairs issued a rare "red" alert in its annual Haze Outlook report in June 2026.

The report warned of severe transboundary haze that might affect Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia; identifying the months of August and September as the "peak danger period."

On holiday in Taiwan with his wife and four others, a Singaporean man was allegedly attacked by five men.

The man, surnamed Ng, told Mothership that the incident happened on Aug. 8 at around 4am as he and his group were leaving a karaoke session at Superstar KTV in Taichung City.

The 35-year-old suffered injuries on his head, arms and chest and subsequently missed his planned return flight scheduled on Aug. 8 afternoon.

How the assault happened

As it was their last night in Taiwan, Ng and his group sang and drank with their local friends and relatives at the KTV.

Ng told Mothership that the incident happened when he was entering the lift with his wife, two of his wife's cousins and a friend after the karaoke session.

He was the last to enter the lift and someone pushed him from behind, he recounted.

Confused by the push, Ng turned around. A man then shouted, "看三小 ? (What are you looking at?)" before punching Ng.

"No strangers in their right mind would have wanted to enter the lift because it would be too cramped. The lift is perfect for at most 6 pax. And these 3 assaulters were quite plump," Ng said.

Ng's companions tried to hold the assailants back but to no avail. They suffered light bruises and scratches in the scuffle.

Another two men joined the fight later and while Ng was on the ground, a man struck him with a fire extinguisher.

Ng told Mothership that his group did not know any of the men.

"I can’t find a reason why they were provoked. That is why I told the law enforcers these people might be on drugs. But they apparently didn’t mention any of these and I wasn’t told a urine test was done for them nor for me," Ng said but added that he has no evidence to prove that the men took drugs.

Injured, missed return flight and paid bail

The police were subsequently alerted and they were taken to the hospital before going to the police station to give their statements, Ng said.

The police asked Ng if he would press charges against the men, Ng said he would.

However, the police told him that his attackers also had the intention to press charges against him, which left him "speechless".

According to Ng, the police also asked him to pay a bail of about NT$20,000(S\$$820).

He added that the police told him that if he's guilty and failed to appear for the court hearing, the money would be forfeited. However, if he's innocent, the money would be returned to him.

Ng told Mothership that despite being a victim, he didn't feel supported by the authorities.

"I was handcuffed, photographed from multiple angles, fingerprinted, and even had my palm prints taken—exactly like a criminal," he said.

Ng could not return to Singapore as planned on Aug. 8 because of the incident.

He was advised by the hospital staff to monitor for any sign of dizziness or vomiting in the following 72 hours to ensure he's not suffering from major head injuries.

The incident also made him appreciate Singapore's law enforcement more.

"Witnessing this overseas makes me grateful for our law enforcements and laws in Singapore. Here they can merely escape justice with 'fines'. When the law enforcements arrived at the scene, the attackers were still provoking and challenging the police. Bet they were on drugs and no urine tests were taken because if there were any findings, it only means more paperwork for the police," Ng said.

Ng is still in Taiwan and said he will have to make another trip to the hospital tomorrow (Aug. 10).

Local Mandopop singer-songwriter Carrie Yeo, 43, announced that she has officially become a Singapore citizen, making this National Day a memorable one for her.

The singer, who's a part of local pop duo "The Freshman" with Chen Diya, took to Instagram on Aug. 8 to share the news.

In the caption, Yeo said that she has been living in Singapore since she was 13 years old.

"Some people might not even realise I'm not Singaporean," she added.

Yeo also shared her appreciation for national icon Kit Chan for writing her letter of recommendation for her citizenship application.

She said that she will "work hard to live up" to what Chan wrote in the letter.

Many local celebrities offered their congratulations in the comment section.

Yeo told Mothership that she was "very, very happy" and "privileged" to be given the citizenship.

"I also feel very grounded, because Singapore is my home and now it's official. I get to grow old with my community and my people. I also feel a stronger sense of duty now towards my home," she added.

A bus in Hougang was forced to brake abruptly when a car swerved into the bus's path from the opposite direction.

The incident saw minor injuries to three bus passengers, with one being sent to the hospital.

Car came from opposite direction

The incident involved SBS Transit bus number 329 and took place at around 8:50 am on the morning of Aug. 2 at the intersection of Hougang Avenue 9 and Hougang Avenue 4.

SBS Transit, responding to a query from Mothership, said that bus was preparing to make a right turn at the intersection with the traffic light in its favour.

But a car travelling in the opposite direction suddenly entered the bus's path.

The bus driver immediately applied the emergency brakes in order to avoid a collision, but three passengers sustained injuries in the incident.

Passenger taken to hospital

Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) told Mothership that one person was conveyed to Sengkang General Hospital.

SBS Transit confirmed the hospitalisation, and added that the injured passenger was receiving outpatient treatment, and that it wished "the injured passenger a speedy recovery."

Two other passengers declined to be taken to hospital.

Pictures posted on social media of the incident showed an SCDF ambulance at the scene, while a small crowd, possibly waiting passengers, looked on.

The remaining passengers were transferred to another bus to continue their journeys.

This week saw the passing of Tan Geok Hak at the age of 98, one of the main characters featured in an animation featured in Boo Junfeng's 2021 National Day Parade (NDP).

Tan survived the Bukit Ho Swee Fire in 1961, rebuilding her home and life with a sewing machine she pulled from the rubble, and raised her family with the proceeds of that sewing machine.

Seamstress and fire survivor

Tan was featured in director Boo Junfeng’s animated feature for NDP 2021, which told the story of Tan and other Singaporeans striving through adversity.

It showed how Tan, a seamstress, had experienced the loss of her home and livelihood during the 1961 Bukit Ho Swee fire.

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But she had managed to salvage her Singer sewing machine from the rubble of her former home, and when she moved to a newly built HDB flat, had brought it with her and used it to provide for her family.

Five stars

Boo shared the news of Tan's passing in a social media post on Aug. 9.

After Boo and his team met Tan in 2021, they continued to meet regularly twice a year, usually around Chinese New Year and National Day.

Tan would affectionately call the team her 五颗星, or “Five Stars”, sometimes calling to ask when her “Five Stars” were coming to visit, according to Boo.

Boo warmly recalled the visits, and Tan’s “joyful spirit and wicked sense of humour”, which he said never waned despite her picking up more ailments as time went by.

As Boo’s team would regularly visit Tan during National Day, and had been hoping to do so again this week, they would unexpectedly end up paying respects at her wake instead.

But he said that Tan had led a long and fulfilling life, and that his team were glad to have gotten to know her.

No point getting angry at people

Boo shared some anecdotes about Tan with Mothership, saying that he and his team had learnt of her passing after Tan’s son got in contact with producer Ben Tan.

He recalled a creative woman who continued to sketch and paint into her final years, eager to show Boo’s team her latest creations.

He also shared his memories of her reminding them that there was “no point getting angry at people”, the theme of a handwritten folk poem that Tan had pinned on her wall.

Each of them was a giant

Boo and Tan’s lives intertwined around National Day and the project they shared together.

He told Mothership that on this National Day, he was “grateful for the foundations laid by the generations before us.”

“We stand on the shoulders of ordinary people who made sacrifices, big and small, to bring us to where we are today.

In their own way, each of them was a giant."

Orbiting somewhere between Mars and Jupiter at this moment is an asteroid named (26227) Tan.

But what you may not know is that it was named after a Singaporean — 28-year-old astronomer Nicole Tan.

A degree and an asteroid

The news of the naming, Tan said, came as a complete surprise.

You can't pay for an asteroid to be named after you, nor is it something that happens because of a particular accomplishment.

"The process is kind of opaque to everyone," she explained. "[But] it's not like something a billionaire gets once they put money into it."

Asteroids are named by a committee of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Traditionally, the astronomer who first discovers an asteroid gets first dibs on naming rights, though they are not allowed to name it after themselves.

Some name them after loved ones, while others nominate individuals who have made significant social or academic contributions.

In Tan's case, an accumulation of years of research contributions to the field of astronomy was what got her on the list.

But it was still a shock when one of her ex-collaborators, who happened to be a member of the IAU, called to break the news to her.

"Since there's no criteria for it... it's kind of out of my hands, it's not something I've ever tried to target," she said. "It was very exciting... it felt like a proud moment."

Tan quipped that it's an honour she shares with other asteroids, some with more whimsical names like "potato" or "cavefish" (based, presumably, on their shape).

"You can't really get such a big head about it," she said with a chuckle. "It keeps you humble."

A curious child

Tan was speaking to me while on a six-hour transit in Changi Airport between Poland, where the naming ceremony had taken place, and New Zealand, where she'd submitted her thesis at the University of Canterbury just days before.

It's clearly a busy time in her life, especially since she'd just completed her doctoral degree in Astronomy in June.

But where did it all begin?

As a child, Tan recalled "getting really into universe documentaries" on the Discovery Channel when her family briefly lived in China.

She had always been a curious child, she said, and astronomy and cosmology stood out to her as interesting subjects.

But she did not realise she could build a career out of it until an astronomy class during her undergraduate years, where she was pursuing a different degree.

"I thought, 'Oh, wow, this is really cool.' It's very interdisciplinary, you pull in math and physics and chemistry, all these different aspects in order to solve really big problems," she enthused.

Later, an opportunity arose to pursue a PhD on trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs).

She took it, and the rest was history.

Moments of awe

On the asteroid's information page, a long string of numbers indicates that it has been documented countless times over the span of 75 years, at observatories all around the globe.

It also lists Tan's achievements, including her thesis on trans-Neptunian objects, and that she was a recipient of a college medal in her undergraduate years in the U.S.

But when I asked her about the most memorable moments over the course of her nearly six-year-long degree, her answers were less about achievement than moments of awe.

At one point, she was part of a team assisting global space agencies in a mission to hit an asteroid off course.

"In the doomsday scenario, where the asteroid is coming towards us... the idea is that we find the asteroid early enough so we can nudge it a little bit, so it veers off course," she explained.

So during her research in New Zealand, her team engineered an "artificial collision" to target an asteroid that was near Earth.

Over the next few months, she got to see the asteroid move towards the point of impact — and then, upon making contact, how it broke apart afterwards.

Tan later got to capture that moment in a gif she stitched together:

A Singaporean connection

For Tan, the significance of the achievement was in having her research tied to her nationality for the first time.

"My whole astronomy research career has been done completely out of Singapore, so all my research and my institutions have no ties to Singapore, which makes me kind of sad," she explained.

"But the fact that my citation says that I'm a Singaporean makes me pretty excited, because it's the one tangible thing linking me to home."

She now joins the likes of another well-known Tan, Chinese philanthropist Tan Kah Kee (himself a prominent Singapore figure), who had an asteroid named after him in 1990.

While she's spent the last decade abroad, Tan said she hopes to transfer the skills she has picked up from astronomy — computer science, coding and effective communication — into a viable career in Singapore.

Here, the "traditional" career options for astronomers — mostly in academia and research, or institutions and observatories — are limited.

But she's considering her options. "I miss home," she confessed.

Where is it now

Asked about her asteroid, Tan enthusiastically whipped out a telescopic image on her laptop and animatedly gestured to a small bright dot in the centre.

It's faint, but stands out against the many other spots on the screen.

When I asked her to explain what we were looking at, the previously reserved young woman disappeared.

"It's a main belt asteroid just between Mars and Jupiter," she began explaining, adding that it sits inclined instead of in line with the solar system.

"Right now it's orbiting the sun, just going about its life, I guess, like me."

It's a strange kind of parallel. In her work, she captures ephemeral moments in time, a little like a stop-motion camera; but the impact is far more permanent.

I asked how her younger self would feel about her achievement. "Pretty excited," she guessed.

"I always wanted to, as a child, have some sort of, I guess – make a mark.

Not in a grandiose sense, but more in a sense of 'yeah, there's some evidence I've been in this world'."

In its 2026 National Day message, the Workers' Party (WP) drew on Singapore's founding story of Sang Nila Utama to highlight the need to put "people above all else" as Singapore navigates "choppy seas".

Whether history or legend, the story has endured because it reminds us that Singapore’s journey began with sacrifice for the common good. We are strongest when we place our shared future above individual claims, and our people above all else.

WP's Secretary-General Pritam Singh noted that geopolitical pressures and economic uncertainty have raised costs, making everyday life more difficult for many Singaporeans.

"That is why strong safety nets matter—not merely as temporary lifebuoys in moments of crisis, but as structural supports that give every family the confidence to weather difficult times with dignity," the message stated.

Singh went on to call for all workers to have wages that reflect "the value of their work" and workplaces that "offer fairness and dignity".

He added that those who are retrenched should receive "meaningful support" before and after retrenchment.

He also called for support for those who need help, including the caregivers, lower-income Singaporeans and persons with disabilities.

WP ended its message by reminding Singaporeans that "diverse voices and different political perspectives do not weaken Singapore when expressed with respect and common purpose".

"The Workers’ Party will continue to play its role as a loyal and constructive opposition—offering ideas, asking difficult questions, and advancing policies that improve the lives of all Singaporeans."

PM Wong also delivered his National Day message to Singaporeans on Aug. 8. He addressed concerns that Singaporeans have on geopolitical uncertainties and AI, and shared that the government will be undertaking a major review of how families in Singapore are supported.

You can read his National Day message here: