Singaporean former radio DJ Daniel Ong will be shutting down his restaurant, Dan’s Steaks.

The 50-year-old made this announcement in an Instagram post.

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A post shared by Dan’s Steaks 🥩 Bar & Grill (@danssteaks)

Ong cited rising operations costs and increasing competition.

“Food costs continue to rise. Staff costs continue to rise. Rent continues to rise. With increasing competition all around us, it has become impossible to keep going sustainably,” he wrote.

Ong’s restaurant started as a home-based business during the pandemic.

It then became a physical restaurant at Maju Avenue in 2021.

Ong expanded the business to three other outlets at Greenwood Avenue, The Star Vista and Upper East Coast Road.

However, they have since closed, and the outlet in Maju Avenue remained.

In a subsequent post, Ong said the closure of the outlets left the restaurant “a six-figure debt” they are “still trying to clear”.

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A post shared by Dan’s Steaks 🥩 Bar & Grill (@danssteaks)

“There are vendors waiting to be paid, payroll to worry about, rent deadlines, and countless sleepless nights,” he wrote.

Ong reckons the restaurant would close in “just a few months”.

“I hope business picks up enough for us to pay a portion of what we owe and help us close with dignity,” he wrote.

Ong shared that there will be promotions in the lead-up to the restaurant’s closure, including "Dan's Disappearing Deals", which are “exclusive offers” that will only appear on the restaurant's Instagram Stories.

He also announced that from Aug. 1 onwards, no government service tax (GST) will be charged at his restaurant.

“Life is tough enough. We kept the prices flat so that you can eat without the 9% on TOP,” he wrote.

“Thank you for believing in us. We hope to see you soon.” Ong concluded.

Dan’s Steaks is located at 12 Maju Avenue.

The police have arrested a 54-year-old woman for her suspected involvement in loanshark activities.

A Jul. 29 police news release stated that at about 6:10pm on Jul. 26, the police were alerted to a case of alleged loanshark harassment at a residential unit along St George's Road.

A debtor's note was found clipped to the clothes drying rack.

Debtor's note

"O$P$...If not next [time] sure give you more jialat and neighbours," a note at the residential unit read, with WhatsApp details included.

The wall was also sprayed with a neon green paint.

Arrested

Officers from Central Police Division, Ang Mo Kio Police Division and Bedok Police Division established the woman's identity through follow-up investigations and with the aid of images from police cameras.

They arrested her on Jul. 28.

The release noted that according to preliminary investigations, she is believed to be involved in other similar cases of loanshark harassment.

Penalties

She will be charged in court on Jul. 30 under the Moneylenders Act 2008.

For first-time offenders, the offence of loanshark harassment carries a fine between S$5,000 and S$50,000, with jail of up to five years, and caning of up to six strokes.

The release stated that the police have zero tolerance for loanshark harassment activities.

Those who deliberately vandalise properties, cause annoyance and disruption to public safety and security, will be dealt with severely in accordance with the law.

Members of the public are advised to stay away from loansharks and not to work with or assist them in any way, the release added.

The public can call the police at "999" if they suspect or know of anyone who could be involved in loansharking activities.

A 23-year-old Singapore permanent resident and Myanmar national was charged in court on Jul. 29 after he allegedly transferred money to facilitate terrorist acts in Gaza.

Charge sheets seen by Mothership stated that the man, Saw Ryan Htoo, would not be pleading guilty.

CNA reported that his family plans to engage a lawyer.

Charges

Saw is accused of transferring US$72.28 (S$93.45) on or about Aug. 9, 2024, to a PayPal account that belonged to an individual named "Bradley Sainsbury".

He allegedly did so for the purpose of facilitating a terrorist act in Gaza City.

Subsequently, on around Aug. 19, the accused allegedly attempted to transfer another US$1 (S$1.29) to a PayPal account linked to a person named Meredith Pollick for the same purpose.

Radicalised

According to a Jul. 28 Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) press release, the Internal Security Department (ISD) initiated investigations against the accused after his extremist postings came to the authorities' attention.

ISD's investigations revealed that he was radicalised after consuming extremist content online.

He developed a strong hatred towards Muslims in 2024 after being exposed to Islamophobic content online in the wake of Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attacks against Israel.

The man began to subscribe to an extremist interpretation of Zionism, and believed that the killing of Palestinian Muslims was justified.

By early 2025, the accused had also developed a strong hatred towards Jews after he consumed far-right extremist and anti-Semitic narratives on social media.

He began posting online, expressing support for the use of violence against Jews and Muslims, as well as other groups typically targeted by far-right extremists.

These included immigrants to Europe and the LGBT community.

Transferred money

In August 2024, the accused transferred funds to an overseas-based user with whom he was in contact on the platform "X".

The user claimed to be soliciting donations online to purchase military equipment, apparently to facilitate a terrorist act in Gaza City.

The act was aimed at eradicating all Palestinians, including civilians.

Penalties

CNA reported that the case was adjourned for a pre-trial conference in August.

If convicted of financing terrorism, or attempting to finance terrorism, he faces a jail term of up to 10 years, a fine of up to S$500,000, or both.

Two men, aged 22 and 50, are slated to be charged on Jul. 29 with driving without a valid licence and other traffic offences.

Man, 50, stopped by traffic police

On Apr. 14 at about 5:20am, the 50-year-old man was stopped by a traffic police officer along Jurong West Street 73.

He was allegedly found to be driving a motor vehicle without a valid driving licence.

He will be charged with the offence of driving without a valid driving licence and using a motor vehicle without insurance coverage.

Man, 22, stopped by traffic police

On Jun. 14 at about 12:50am, the 22-year-old man was stopped by a traffic police officer along Bedok Reservoir Road.

He was allegedly found to be driving a deregistered car without a valid driving licence.

In a separate incident, on Jun. 18 at about 10:20pm, the 22-year-old was allegedly found driving another deregistered car without a valid driving licence along Edgedale Plains in Punggol.

He will be charged with the offence of driving without a valid driving licence, using a motor vehicle without insurance coverage, and using a deregistered vehicle.

Penalties

The police said they take a serious view of individuals who drive without a valid driving licence or operate deregistered vehicles, as such acts endanger the safety of the driver and other road users.

Members of the public were urged to remain vigilant and report any suspected instances of deregistered vehicles or unlicensed drivers.

Driving without a valid driving licence carries a jail term of up to three years, a fine of up to S$10,000, or both.

Repeat offenders are liable to a jail term of up to six years, a fine of up to S$20,000, or both.

Using a motor vehicle without insurance coverage carries a jail term of up to three months, a fine of up to S$1,000, or both.

Using a deregistered vehicle carries a jail term of up to two years, a fine of up to S$20,000, or both.

Repeat offenders are liable to a jail term of up to four years, a fine of up to S$40,000, or both.

A business owner at 228 Geylang Road said he has been plagued by the issue of improper waste disposal along the back lane near his shop for years, and the waste has attracted pests, such as rats.

While things have improved recently, previous attempts to report the issue have proved futile, with the waste pile-up constantly reappearing.

Long-running issue

The business owner, Teoh, told Mothership he has been running his agarwood business at the Geylang location for five years.

He first started reporting the waste pile-up issue through OneService in 2023.

In recent photographs taken by Teoh at the start of July 2026, cardboard boxes could be seen outside the back entrance of a row of shops.

There were several green waste bins present.

Among the waste was a potted plant, which was filled almost to the brim with stagnant water.

One photo shared by Teoh also showed an upside-down rat lying beside bread crumbs.

Multiple reports made

Teoh said that things were "never properly resolved", and he has submitted more than 20 reports via OneService so far.

Each time he made the report, the waste would be cleared "within one or two days", but it would pile up again soon after.

"We report it again, it gets cleared again, and the same cycle continues," Teoh commented.

He has also reached out to the National Environment Agency (NEA) about three to four times.

He shared that the agency had issued a "warning letter" reminding tenants not to improperly dispose of their waste, but this did little to improve things.

For Teoh, the waste pile-up not only affects public hygiene and health, it also poses a fire hazard as they may obstruct the rear exit and hamper evacuation during an emergency.

According to Teoh, the back lane area is also shared by three grocery shops and two restaurants, so the "small rubbish bins" are not sufficient for the waste generated.

NEA has engaged business owners

Responding to Mothership's queries, NEA said it is aware of the feedback regarding improper waste disposal at the back lane between Lorong 8 and Lorong 10 Geylang near 228 Geylang Road.

The agency said it has conducted inspections and engaged trade premises owners along the stretch, advising them on proper waste disposal and refuse management practices.

It also said that enforcement actions have been taken against errant premises owners.

"NEA is actively monitoring the area and will not hesitate to take further action against those found to have committed offences," the agency said.

NEA also explained that the appointed public waste collector conducts daily waste collection services, and trade premises owners are responsible for ensuring adequate bin capacity to prevent overflow.

They are also responsible for properly disposing of their waste in designated bins.

"For bulky waste, trade premises owners must separately engage licensed waste collectors for proper disposal as it does not fall within the scope of the public waste collector," NEA said.

"NEA urges all premises owners and members of the public to practise proper refuse management and ensure bins are not overflowing, and to refrain from indiscriminate dumping in open areas, so that our shared spaces remain clean and pest-free," the agency advised.

CCTV installed

When Mothership checked in with Teoh on Jul. 28, he said things have improved.

"Recently, no boxes on the floor. But [there's still] some unwanted furniture," he shared.

He also noted that a closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera has been installed at the back lane.

A 70-year-old man died in an early morning fire at Block 39 Circuit Road on Jul. 28 and his family has declined to help with identifying his body and arranging his funeral, Shin Min Daily News reported.

According to the Chinese-language paper, the man lived alone in a ninth-floor unit.

He died after a fire broke out at around 2am.

Family declined to help with funeral

Neighbours told Shin Min that the man was a recluse and did not leave his home often.

They also shared that he did not get many visitors over the years.

Marine Parade-Braddell Heights GRC Member of Parliament Tin Pei Ling told Shin Min that the victim had relied on the Silver Scheme Support to get by.

Tin added that the man and his family were estranged.

The relevant authorities have contacted the family, and they turned down the request to identify his body or help with the funeral arrangements, according to Tin.

"We have already contacted Cheng Hong Welfare Service Society, and they will help with his funeral arrangements. As the elderly man had accumulated a number of belongings prior to his death, we will also be making arrangements for these items," Tin shared.

Deceased divorced for some years

Next-door neighbour Liang (transliteration), 51, said the elderly man had been divorced for some years, Shin Min wrote.

The elderly man had in the past sought help from Liang to contact his daughter after he was hospitalised following a fall, but Liang said she could not reach her.

"He later said there was no need to look for his daughter anymore," Liang recalled.

All Singaporean households are set to receive an additional S$300 Community Development Council (CDC) Vouchers in January 2027.

Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Finance Jeffrey Siow announced this during a press conference on Jul. 29, as part of a government support package of around S$900 million in light of the Middle East situation.

This is on top of the measures announced at Budget 2026 and the S$1 billion assistance package announced in a Apr. 7 ministerial statement.

The measures are aimed at providing further support for businesses and Singaporean households to manage cost pressures in light of the Middle East situation, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) said in a media factsheet.

While the worst-case scenario did not happen, the situation remains “fragile”, Siow said.

“As a result, we expect global energy prices to remain elevated, which will translate to higher costs for petrol, diesel, electricity, as well as certain imported goods,” he said.

Support for households

CDC vouchers

To help with daily expenses and cushion the impact of inflation, the government will be disbursing S$300 CDC vouchers in January 2027 to every Singaporean household.

They will be valid until Dec. 31, 2027.

S$500 CDC vouchers were previously disbursed in June 2026.

U-Save rebates

To help households better manage their electricity bills, the Government will enhance the upcoming U-Save rebates in October 2026 and January 2027, Siow announced.

This continues the enhancements to U-Save disbursed earlier in April and July.

Taken together, eligible HDB households will receive S$110 to S$190 per quarter, double the regular GSTV-U-Save amount.

For Singaporean households living in a four-room HDB or smaller flat, the government expects these enhancements for U-Save to fully offset higher utility bills until March 2027.

ComCare Interim Assistance

The government will also provide additional support for lower-income households, Siow said.

They will increase monthly payouts for ComCare Interim Assistance to at least S$250 per month for up to three months, with more provided to those with greater needs or more dependents.

They will also be more flexible on the eligibility for ComCare Interim Assistance, so more households can qualify for support, Siow said.

Enhancements will take effect from August to December 2026.

In a media release on Jul. 29, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said the Interim Assistance enhancements will apply from Aug. 17 to Dec. 31, 2026, and will be administered by MSF and the People’s Association (PA).

The ministry added that the eligibility criteria includes lower-income Singapore Citizens (SC) or Permanent Residents (PR) with at least one SC immediate family member in the same household residing in public housing and who are currently not receiving ComCare assistance.

While the usual income criterion for ComCare Interim Assistance is a per capita household income of S$800 a month, the criterion will be applied more flexibly during the enhancement period.

Households facing financial difficulty may apply for Interim Assistance even if their income is above the current threshold, MSF said.

In addition, households that require longer-term support may be assessed for other forms of ComCare assistance.

Households in need of assistance can apply online via the SupportGoWhere portal or approach a community club/centre.

Additionally, MSF said households already on ComCare Short-to-Medium-Term Assistance, but who need more help, can approach the Social Service Offices (SSOs) for a review.

Their monthly cash assistance will be increased by at least 5 per cent or S$50, whichever is higher, for up to three months, the ministry shared.

This Temporary Supplementary Allowance will apply during the same period between Aug. 17 and Dec. 31, 2026.

Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry Low Yen Ling announced a slew of support measures for businesses during a press conference on Jul. 29.

The measures are part of a support package of around S$900 million in response to the Middle East situation.

Minister for Transport and Second Minister for Finance Jeffrey Siow explained during the press conference that inflation is expected to remain elevated into 2027.

Against this backdrop, Low said the government is boosting support for businesses in Singapore, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

“We do this because we understand that many SMEs are concerned about higher operating costs and their cash flow. We aim to help them better manage their costs in the near term, while at the same time giving them the support they need to make business adjustments for the long run,” she said.

Support for businesses

Low outlined three ways the government is helping businesses.

Enterprise Financing Scheme

First, a time-bound enhancement will be made to the Enterprise Financing Scheme (EFS), from September 2026 to March 2027.

This is to enable local enterprises to better access financing to meet their cash flow needs, Low explained.

They will also increase the Government’s risk-share from 50 per cent to 70 per cent for the EFS-SME Working Capital Loan and EFS-Project Loan.

With this, businesses will have improved access to financing for their cash flow.

The coverage of the EFS-Project Loan will also be expanded to support domestic projects for local construction enterprises, making it easier for them to secure financing to manage higher costs amidst a challenging environment, Low said.

SME Cash Grant 2026

The government will also provide a one-off SME Cash Grant to support SMEs with their cash flow needs.

Active SMEs with at least one local employee will receive a one-off S$500 grant per local employee, capped at S$2,500 per SME.

Eligible sole proprietorships, partnerships, and limited liability partnerships with at least one local business owner but no local employees will receive a flat payout of S$500.

No application is required, and eligible SMEs will receive the benefit in November 2026.

Rental support for market and hawker centre stallholders

The government will also provide rental support for stallholders in markets and hawker centres managed by the government and government- appointed operators, Low announced.

Cooked food stalls will each receive S$1,200, while market stalls will each receive S$600.

This will be disbursed over six months from September 2026 to February 2027.

Details of the support will be provided to stallholders separately by the relevant agencies.

Low added that beyond these three measures, they are continuing to work closely with sector agencies to support and strengthen Singapore’s businesses through this challenging time.

“We are keeping a very close watch on how our businesses fare, and we stand ready to provide additional targeted support when needed as the situation evolves,” she said.

Low further shared during the press conference:

"We want to work with them through this rental support to sustain Singapore's hawker culture and also hawker trade and food culture. At the same time, in so doing, we want to demonstrate the government is being a responsible manager of these premises, the hawker centre and the market."

Around 15,200 stores are expected to benefit from the rental support, of which 6,900 are cooked food stalls, and the remaining 8,300 are market stalls.

Low also explained that the higher quantum for the cooked food stalls reflects the broader range of cost pressures that are experienced by these hawkers, such as the energy cost from preparing food, and raw material costs.

More than 12,500 resale flats have been listed on the Resale Flat Listing (RFL) service since its launch in May 2024.

According to a Jul. 28 Housing and Development Board (HDB) media factsheet, the RFL service is a one-stop platform on the HDB Flat Portal for the listing and transaction of HDB resale flats.

RFL service

Among the listings, over six in 10 sellers who listed their flats proceeded to complete their resale transactions, the factsheet stated.

Close to four in 10 of these completed resale transactions were by sellers who listed their flats on their own without a property agent.

According to the factsheet, the service currently provides an additional platform for resale flat sellers and their appointed property agents to list their flats.

Whether to make listing compulsory

It added that the Ministry of National Development (MND) and HDB are studying whether to require all resale flat sellers to list their flats on the RFL service.

This is to further strengthen it as a transparent, reliable and trusted marketplace for HDB resale flats.

The factsheet stated that this would provide buyers a comprehensive view of verified and accurate listings from eligible sellers.

It would also give sellers greater assurance that interested buyers are eligible to purchase an HDB flat with a valid HFE letter.

In addition, sellers who wish to continue marketing their flats on other property portals, in addition to the RFL service, will be able to do so.

Resale process

The factsheet noted that since its launch, HDB has continually enhanced the RFL service to provide buyers and sellers with better market insights and more effective support throughout the resale process.

This includes sellers now receiving prompts when their listing price exceeds the recent highest transacted price of nearby resale flats by 5 per cent, 10 per cent, or more, so that they can make informed decisions on their listing prices.

The listing will also indicate upfront that the price exceeds recent transaction prices to help buyers make more prudent purchasing decisions.

HDB has also introduced advisories for sellers to verify their appointed property agent's registration with the Council for Estate Agencies (CEA) and on the proper use of images in their listings.

Property agents

CEA said in a Jul. 28 press release that it will be extending the validity periods for all property agency licences and property agent registrations from one year to three years from Jan. 1, 2027.

The upcoming licensing and registration renewal exercise for existing property agencies and property agents at the end of 2026 will kickstart the first three-year cycle, which will run from Jan. 1, 2027, to Dec. 31, 2029.

To uphold industry professionalism under the extended registration period, a new Currency Requirement (CR) for property agents will be introduced.

Under the new CR, property agents must either complete at least three property transactions over their three-year registration period, or pass a Refresher Examination, to be eligible for registration renewal for another three years.

CEA shared that they have conducted an industry review together with MND to guide the industry towards "greater efficiency and sustainability".

Senior Minister of State for National Development & Transport Sun Xueling announced the changes at the Singapore Estate Agents Conference, organised by the Singapore Institute of Estate Agents (SIEA), on Jul. 28.

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

No need to take real-time selfie

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

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

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

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

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

Penalties

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

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

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

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