A power bank was emitting smoke from a bag on the platform of Buangkok MRT station on Jul. 29, alerting the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) to the scene.

In a video posted on TikTok, a black bag on the station platform can be seen emitting smoke just before the train doors.

A police officer sprayed it with a fire extinguisher, leaving it covered in white powder.

When an officer opened the bag to look inside, a burst of flame shot out and was quickly extinguished by the officer.

@pokecardboards Disclaimer‼️ this video not to name and shame anybody. Not really sure what caused the fire, but I overheard the owner said “power bank” to the staff Happened around 5pm, 29th July, on a Wednesday evening Video to share awareness on the dangers of power banks, to cure my own kaypohness and I had to wait for the next train anyway. Didn’t stay any longer than I needed to. this is my POV. Otw home from work, and right before leaving buangkok station suddenly everyone from one cabin away everyone running towards my cabin then just right before the door close, someone shout “everybody get out!” Then the door closed on us before we managed to get out, some did some didn’t. I didn’t, I was trying to see what’s going on, and it’s just one cabin away from mine, we can smell smoke building up, starts to become foggy in the cabin having the commotion. Then the door suddenly open again then we all get out. Apparently it’s a bag that caught fire? Probably due to a power bank in the bag? Then the smrt staff and police tried to put it out with an extinguisher, while everyone watching show. Then i watch until the next mrt come then I left. The commotion was still going on when I left, somehow the power bank or whatever that is burning cannot be put out. But ye, that’s what happened and there was a Snorlax involved so, that’s why it’s on this page 🙃 #singaporenews #sgnews #sgnews🇸🇬 ♬ original sound - PokeCardBoards

In response to Mothership's queries, SBS Transit spokesperson Grace Wu said that the incident happened at about 5:06pm that day.

A TransCom Police officer responded to the incident while SBS Transit staff were also on site to assist commuters.

The SCDF, who were alerted at about 5:10pm, said the incident involved a power bank that was emitting smoke.

Before they arrived, the TransCom Police officer used a dry powder fire extinguisher to try to put it out.

No injuries were reported, and the cause of the incident is under investigation.

Passengers exited the train

In the TikTok video, an empty train can be seen stopped at the station platform.

The user who posted the video was a passenger on board a train that stopped at Buangkok station due to smoke.

Right before the train doors closed at the station, they heard someone shout "Everybody, get out!" inside the train, the user wrote in the caption.

They could smell smoke from a cabin away, and the air started to get foggy.

"The door closed on us before we managed to get out," they said. "Some did, some didn’t... Then the door suddenly [opened] again, then we all get out."

Another passenger told Zaobao that the police asked around at the station platform for the owner of the bag that emitted smoke, and a man in his 30s went forward.

The police then asked the man if the bag contained a power bank, but the passenger did not catch the man's reply.

Train service at Buangkok MRT station resumed within five minutes, the SBS Transit spokesperson said.

A total of 147 persons are under investigation for allegedly perpetrating government officials impersonation scams, investment scams and job scams.

They are being investigated for offences under the Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Serious Crimes (Confiscation of Benefits) Act 1992 (CDSA) and the Computer Misuse Act 1993 (CMA).

From Jun. 17 to 30, the Cyber Command’s Anti-Scam Centre (ASC) and Anti-Scam investigation units, in collaboration with seven land divisions, conducted an islandwide enforcement operation targeting these individuals.

In close partnership with local banks, ASC officers detected and froze 158 bank accounts allegedly linked to scam activities.

More than S$150,000 in suspected scam proceeds were seized.

During the operation, more than 140 individuals were investigated on suspicion of surrendering their bank accounts to facilitate money laundering.

In collaboration with key industry partners, including social media platforms, messaging-application providers and telecommunications companies, police took down 1,123 online enablers and disabled 370 phone lines that were apparently used to support scam operations.

Penalties

Assisting another to retain benefits from criminal conduct in certain circumstances carries a jail term of up to three years, a fine of up to S$50,000, or both.

Unauthorised access to computer material carries a jail term of up to two years, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both for first-time offenders.

If convicted, scammers and members or recruiters of scam syndicates will face mandatory caning of between six and 24 strokes.

Scam mules who enable scammers by laundering scam proceeds, providing SIM cards or SingPass credentials are liable to discretionary caning of up to 12 strokes.

The police said they take a serious stance against persons who may be involved in scams, and perpetrators will be dealt with in accordance with the law.

The police also advised members of the public to never allow others to use their SingPass credentials, bank accounts or mobile lines to facilitate suspicious or unlawful activities to avoid being an accomplice to criminal activities.

For more information on scams, members of the public can visit www.scamshield.gov.sg or call the ScamShield Helpline at 1799.

Members of the public can call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000, or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness if they suspect or know of anyone who could be involved in mule-related activities.

All information provided will be kept confidential.

Three Singaporean men, consisting of two alleged drug traffickers and an alleged drug abuser, aged between 27 and 34, were arrested for suspected drug offences.

The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) arrested the three men on Jul. 27.

A total of about 5,520g of cannabis, 132g of "Ice", 145g of ketamine and four LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) stamps were seized.

They are estimated to be worth more than S$142,000 and could potentially feed the addiction of 860 abusers for a week.

First arrest

On the afternoon of Jul. 27, a 34-year-old man was arrested at a void deck of a residential block in the vicinity of Ang Mo Kio Avenue 4 for suspected drug trafficking offences.

The man was escorted to his hideout, a residential unit in the next block, where a search was conducted.

Four LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) stamps from the man, and about 879g of cannabis and about 123g of "Ice" from within the unit were seized.

Second arrest

Through further investigations, officers followed up with a second operation.

A 29-year-old man was arrested at the lift landing of a residential block in the vicinity of Pasir Ris Street 11 for suspected drug trafficking offences.

The man was escorted to his residential unit in the same block.

A total of about 4,641g of cannabis and 145g of ketamine were recovered.

The seized drugs included two packets of cannabis found on the man, several packets of cannabis and ketamine recovered from within the unit, as well as blocks of cannabis found outside the unit.

Third arrest

Later in the afternoon, a 27-year-old man was arrested in his residential unit in the vicinity of Jalan Bukit Ho Swee for suspected drug offences.

A search of the unit recovered about 9g of "Ice".

Law

Those convicted of trafficking more than 500g of cannabis may face the mandatory death penalty.

Investigations are ongoing.

A vehicle caught fire in the basement car park of a condominium in Yishun.

The incident occurred on Jul. 29 at about 8:20pm at Orchid Park Condominium along Yishun Street 81.

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said firefighters extinguished the fire with two water jets.

One person was conveyed to Singapore General Hospital for smoke inhalation.

In a Facebook post by Lee Hui Ying, Nee Soon GRC Member of Parliament (MP), she wrote that residents were evacuated and “everyone was calm”.

“Thankfully there were no serious injuries,” she wrote.

Photos showed the walls of the car park charred.

A car also appeared to be completely burnt.

Emergency responders were present.

Lee expressed her gratitude to emergency responders for their “swift response”.

She also mentioned that a police officer and a resident “stepped forward to support”.

“Good to see many neighbours looking out for one another,” she concluded.

The 19-year-old French teenager who filmed himself licking a straw and returning it to an iJooz vending machine was fined S$600 for public nuisance on Jul. 30, 2026.

Court documents seen by Mothership stated that Didier Gaspard Owen Maximilien pleaded guilty to one count of public nuisance.

A second charge of mischief was taken into consideration during sentencing, CNA reported.

His lawyer had previously told the district court on Jun. 26 that Maximilien, who was not present at the hearing, would enter a plea on the afternoon of Jul. 13.

Earlier reports stated that Maximilien had previously been charged on Apr. 24 with one count of committing mischief and another count of public nuisance.

Incident

The incident took place on Mar. 12 at Goldhill Centre in Thomson Road, where Maximilien was attending a boxing session.

Afterwards, at about 2pm, he filmed himself removing and licking a straw from an iJooz kiosk before placing it back into the straw dispenser.

His antics went viral after he posted the video onto his Instagram Story on the same day.

iJooz, which is known for its orange juice vending machines, replaced all 500 straws in the dispenser, valued at S$5.

Prosecution, defence agreed fine suitable

CNA reported that the prosecution agreed with the defence that a fine was suitable.

Taking over the case from a state prosecuting officer, the deputy public prosecutor (DPP) said a fine would suffice given Maximilien's youth and the case's circumstances.

He left the calibration of the quantum to the court's discretion.

The previous hearing had been adjourned so the prosecution could check the status of Maximilien's student pass on conviction.

"I understand that ICA will make that decision having regard to all relevant considerations including circumstances of the case and the outcome of today's proceedings," CNA reported the DPP as saying.

The prosecution's sentencing position is independent of the outcome of Maximilien's student pass, he added.

Teen 'truly sorry': Defence lawyer

According to CNA, the defence had considered pushing for probation or a community-based sentence.

However, there will be logistical difficulties for him to be on probation as Maximilien's father is working in France and the family would have trouble getting someone to be a guardian for him here.

His defence lawyer stated that "the contaminated straw was not used by anyone."

He added: "Unfortunately, he made the decision to share it within his Instagram circle ... someone in his circle, within his Instagram circle of contacts, had taken a screen video of it and forwarded it to a media outlet and that's how it went viral."

This was to explain how the incident became something that "may have caused public disquiet", he said.

The lawyer noted that Maximilien is "truly sorry for having caused all this trouble and he realises that what appeared to him at that time as something perhaps playful has turned out to be something very consequential".

He also shared that Maximilien's family has also "counselled him on the importance of taking responsibility for his actions".

Penalties

His parents have "every intention" of ensuring he pays for the fine, the lawyer added.

Probation or other community-based sentences should ordinarily be the port of call considering Maximilien's age and the nature and circumstances of the case, CNA reported the district judge as saying.

However, she agreed a fine was suitable and agreed with the figure that the defence submitted, given the practical and logistical difficulties.

The prosecution did not seek a compensation order.

For public nuisance, Maximilien could have been jailed for up to three months, fined up to S$2,000, or both.

Singapore content creator Mabel Kee has removed her YouTube video about the alleged infidelity of her partner of seven years.

In a TikTok story on Jul. 28, the 22-year-old said she would be taking down the video that day, and thanked her viewers for their support.

At the bottom of the story, she included a screenshot of a letter from the Online Safety Commission (OSC) addressed to her.

"The Online Safety Commission has received a report in respect of your online conduct in making a video post," the notice read.

OSC confirms reaching out

In response to Mothership's queries, an OSC spokesperson confirmed that the commission received a report concerning Kee’s video and contacted her about it:

"In this instance, we recognised that this was an emotionally trying period for Ms Kee. Rather than issuing a direction in the first instance, we wrote to her to explain that there were parts of the video that we considered to constitute online harmful activity and gave her the opportunity to address those concerns.

We thank Ms Kee for doing so proactively."

OSC also said: "When reports are received, the OSC quickly assesses the information and evidence provided to determine what action to take in the circumstances of each case."

OSC urged the public to find out more about what to report or avoid running afoul of the law on the OSC's website.

What is OSC?

The OSC receives reports submitted by victims of suspected online harms.

It deals with online harmful activities that fall within the scope of the Online Safety (Relief and Accountability) Act 2025, which include online harassment, doxxing, non‑consensual disclosure of private information, and publication of false material.

The video in question

The 50-minute video uploaded on Jul. 15 was circulated quickly, hitting around one million views by the time Kee removed it.

In the video, she shared that she and her partner, also 22, had gotten engaged on Oct. 17, 2025, and they were trying for the Build-To-Order (BTO) exercise in the June 2026.

However, these plans and the relationship broke down when she apparently found out that he was cheating on her with another girl.

The story has been dubbed the "Hougang Block ABC saga" based on the name Kee gave the residential block she found her ex-fiancé had allegedly been booking repeated private-hire rides to.

A Malaysian minister has laid out his solution for the problem of poorly lit roads: Just turn on your lights.

The country's Deputy Works Minister Ahmad Maslan made the remarks in parliament on Jul. 27, in response to a question about how certain roads, especially along the Federal Highway, pose a danger to motorists for being too dimly lit.

It was also raised that certain stretches of roads become waterlogged during heavy rains.

Ahmad argued that it was not financially possible for the Malaysian government to install street lights along every road in Malaysia. 

Doing so would require a very large budget allocation, which the government currently cannot afford in part due to Malaysia's removal of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), he said.

Instead, he pointed out that vehicles are already fitted with lights for use when travelling in dark conditions.

"If it's dark, turn on the motorcycle lights, car lights and vehicle lights".

Ahmad added that while street lighting is not fully the responsibility of the Works Ministry, RM200 million (S$63.4 million) had previously been approved to install street lights across 20,000 villages.

Street lights are also mainly installed at areas with a history or high risk of accidents, he said.

On July 25, Dharmendra Pradhan, India's Education Minister, resigned.

His resignation comes after nearly three months of scandal and protest, notably by the youth movement Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).

But how did a parody political party named after an offhand putdown of a generation strike the hardest blow against a dominant Indian government in almost two decades?

Employment and examinations

This most recent protest movement stems from a broad trend, but also a specific moment.

The broader trends are worries by India's youth about its relatively high youth unemployment rate, particularly amongst university graduates, with the BBC saying that of those aged between 15 and 25, 40 per cent are jobless.

Between the ages of 25 and 29, the number improves but still remains at 20 per cent.

Demand for the best jobs is high, as is the the competition to enter the best universities or the best courses.

NEET leak

This has put a spotlight on the National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test (NEET), a university entrance exams that has been riven with scandal for several years, particularly relating to accusations that examination questions were being leaked for the benefit of a few students.

In 2026, accusations of further leaks surrounded the NEET-UG examinations, which are the entrance exams for India's medical schools.

The New York Times described the examinations as gruelling, but also a gateway to a coveted spot in India's medical education system, for which students spend years preparing for.

But a leak of nearly 120 out of 180 questions saw the May 3 exams cancelled on May 12, with a re-examination scheduled for Jun. 21.

The nature of the examinations and the intense pressure related to the results saw as many as 21 students potentially having taken their own lives in the run-up to the re-examination date.

Parasites

In the midst of the scandal on May 15, India's Chief Justice, Surya Kant, got caught up in a controversy when during a speech about lawyers with bogus degrees, Kant referred to unemployed youths in India “cockroaches” and “parasites.”

“There are already parasites of society who attack the system, and you want to join hands with them?

“There are youngsters like cockroaches, who don’t get any employment and don’t have any place in the profession.

“Some of them become media, some of them become social media, some of them become RTI (Right to Information) activists, some of them become other activists, and they start attacking everyone…and you people file contempt petitions!”

The next day, Kant clarified that he was only referring to lawyers with bogus degrees, and that he had been misquoted, but this failed to mollify many.

Party time

One of those youths spurred into action was Abhijeet Dipke, a political communications strategist who was then studying at Boston University.

Taking “inspiration” from the Chief Justice's remark, he started the Cockroach Junta Party, a satirical take on the Bharatiya Janata Party, the political party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

It features an AI-generated cockroach with sunglasses as its mascot.

Initial posts on social media platforms like X displayed its four-point criteria for joining: Had to be unemployed, lazy, chronically online, and be able to rant professionally.

From its start it asked a simple question: What if all the "cockroaches" came together?

From the screen to the street

What began as a joke began to take a life of its own, and within a week, the CJP’s social media accounts had millions of followers, more than even the BJP.

By the start of June, Dipke had returned from the U.S. to head street protests, which over the course of two months morphed from a single-day protest to a multi-week sit-in along with a hunger strike by prominent activist Sonam Wangchuk, who subsisted on nothing but salt and water, as well as Dipke himself.

The sit-in protest site was located at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, and came to a head on Jul. 20, when thousands of protesters at the site attempted to march to India’s parliament.

The Guardian estimated that “tens of thousands” attended the march; estimates were between 10 and 50 thousand, who subsequently clashed with Delhi police, resulting in hundreds of injuries and arrests.

The police erected metal barriers across the road in order to prevent the protesters from making progress, and reportedly hit protesters with batons and used tear gas against them.

The BBC estimated 300 persons were injured and taken to hospital, and 70 protesters were arrested.

And while protests were most pronounced in Delhi, other cities also saw notable turnouts, with organisers calling the young, and particularly those affected by the examination resits, to join the protest, in the latter case, after their exams were completed.

Resigned to it

But the pressure on the government appears to have paid off.

On Jul. 25, about five weeks since the sit-in protest started in earnest, and almost three months after the CJP was started as a joke, India’s education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned.

On social media, Pradhan said that he “respected the aspirations, dreams, and expectations of the youth” and that he was resigning so “anti-nationalist” forces didn’t exploit the CJP protest, and to "preserve national unity”, he had handed in his resignation to Modi.

His resignation was met by Dipke announcing to the crowd, “We have done it!”

Opposition occlusion

This marks the most successful recent challenge to Narendra Modi’s power.

While the protest site was visited regularly by opposition politicians, those opposition politicians have struggled to make an impact, both before and during this incident.

Some will claim they are ineffective; others will say that they are being suppressed.

But when the official leader of the opposition, India National Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, was pictured being hauled away by the police while visiting the protest during its march to parliament, it was some of the most effective publicity he had in a while.

Gandhi was detained, but released on the same day.

Thanks for name

The CJP, however, is not done.

It has its sights set on making sure that those affected by the NEET scandal are compensated, particularly the families of those who took their lives.

Its manifesto has five points, directed at improving India’s democracy and empowering its younger generations.

Its leader, Dipke, was also cognisant of who he owed appreciation to, citing Chief Justice Kant, thanking him for calling his generation “cockroaches.”

Otherwise, “this movement would not have started.”

A motorcycle was seen hitting a jaywalking pedestrian in Bukit Batok on Jul. 29.

The incident occurred at the junction of Bukit Batok Avenue 1 and Bukit Batok West Avenue 6.

The police said they were alerted to the accident at about 10:10am.

A 20-year-old male pedestrian and a 36-year-old male motorcyclist were conveyed conscious to the hospital.

The pedestrian is assisting with investigations.

Police investigations are ongoing.

Video

A video online showed the exact moment of impact after the pedestrian ran across the road.

The motorcyclist was thrown off the motorcycle.

Both the motorcyclist and the pedestrian were seen lying at the junction for a brief moment before members of the public rendered assistance.

The pedestrian was seen limping as he was helped off the road.

The motorcyclist remained on the ground as he was assisted by two people.

In response to Mothership's queries, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the road traffic accident at about 10:20am on Wednesday.

A person was conveyed to the National University Hospital and another person was conveyed to Ng Teng Fong General Hospital.

Eight men, aged between 36 and 70, were slated to be charged on Jul. 29 for their suspected involvement in separate cases of outrage of modesty or molestation.

70-year-old

On Jun. 22, 2025, a 70-year-old man allegedly molested a 54-year-old woman in the vicinity of Marina Boulevard.

Through follow-up investigations, the police established his identity and subsequently arrested him.

He was scheduled to be charged with three counts of outrage of modesty and one count of exhibiting an object intended to insult the modesty of any person.

45-year-old

On Oct. 4, 2025, a 45-year-old man allegedly molested a 26-year-old woman along Connaught Drive.

The incident was reported to the police, and he was arrested at the scene.

He was scheduled to be charged with two counts of outrage of modesty.

33-year-old

On Feb. 8, 2026, a 33-year-old man allegedly molested a 16-year-old girl along Farrer Park Station Road.

The incident was reported to the police.

Through follow-up investigations, the police established his identity and subsequently arrested him.

He was scheduled to be charged with two counts of outrage of modesty and two counts of uttering words and exhibiting an object intended to insult the modesty of any person.

44-year-old

On Mar. 7, 2026, a 44-year-old man allegedly molested a 35-year-old woman in the vicinity of Raffles Place.

The incident was reported to the police.

Through follow-up investigations, the police established his identity and subsequently arrested him.

He was scheduled to be charged with one count of outrage of modesty.

37-year-old

On Apr. 20, 2026, a 37-year-old man allegedly molested a 35-year-old woman in a toilet cubicle along Victoria Street.

The incident was reported to the police.

Through follow-up investigations, the police established his identity and subsequently arrested him.

The man was scheduled to be charged with one count of outrage of modesty.

48-year-old

On May 2, 2026, a 48-year-old man allegedly molested a 30-year-old woman along Duxton Road.

On the same day, he is also believed to have lifted the skirt of a 26-year-old woman in the vicinity of Duxton Hill.

The incident was reported to the police, and he was arrested at the scene.

He was scheduled to be charged with one count of outrage of modesty and one count of making a gesture intended to insult the modesty of any person.

Another 37-year-old

On May 30, 2026, a 37-year-old man allegedly molested a 26-year-old woman along Jalan Sultan.

The incident was reported to the police.

Through follow-up investigations, the police established his identity and subsequently arrested him.

He was scheduled to be charged with one count of outrage of modesty.

36-year-old

On Jun. 6, a 36-year-old man allegedly molested a 36-year-old woman along Upper Cross Street.

The incident was reported to the police, and he was arrested at the scene.

He was scheduled to be charged with one count of outrage of modesty.

Law

Outrage of modesty carries a jail term of up to three years, a fine, caning, or any combination of such punishments.

Uttering words or making gestures intended to insult the modesty of any person carries a jail term of up to one year, a fine, or both.

The police said they have zero tolerance towards sexual offenders who prey on unsuspecting victims and who threaten the personal safety of those in the community.

Offenders will be dealt with sternly in accordance with the law.

The police advised that victims of molestation should move away from the perpetrator and call the police immediately when it is safe to do so.

While ensuring their personal safety, victims should try to note key details such as the perpetrator’s physical appearance, clothing, and the time and location of the incident.

The police also encouraged members of the public to remain vigilant, especially in crowded areas.

If they witness molestation or are aware of someone being a victim of molestation, they should report the matter to the police immediately.

Such actions can deter the perpetrator from targeting other victims and can provide witness testimony.

If the perpetrator flees, they should note the perpetrator’s description and direction of travel.

The police said quick responses by both victims and members of the public can help them swiftly identify and apprehend the perpetrator, while safeguarding others from harm.