A Housing and Development Board (HDB) block at Telok Blangah Crescent has been affected by a persistent foul odour for nearly a year, prompting some residents to install fans and burn incense outside their homes in an attempt to mask the smell.

A woman, surnamed Wang (transliteration), told Shin Min Daily News that she has lived at the block for over a decade and has always gotten along well with her neighbours.

However, about a year ago, after an elderly woman and her two adult sons moved into a unit on the 11th floor, Wang said she began to notice a strong smell of urine and faeces coming from the flat.

Persistent smell

Speaking to Shin Min, Wang said the elderly woman is frail and remains at home most of the time, while her sons take turns caring for her, working different shifts.

She said she believes the elderly woman suffers from incontinence, resulting in the persistent urine smell.

"Even when they keep the doors and windows closed on weekdays, we can still smell it," she said. "On weekends, when the doors and windows are open, the smell becomes even stronger."

Wang added that she is unable to communicate directly with the neighbours as she does not speak English.

As such, she resorted to placing a fan outside her home to blow the smell away and has recently begun burning incense in the corridor.

"Sometimes I have to switch on the fan as early as 5am, otherwise the smell drifts over. The fan runs almost all day, so my electricity bill has also increased as a result," she said.

She said she had previously reported the matter to the authorities and that volunteers had visited the unit to assess the situation, but no solution had been reached.

While acknowledging that the elderly woman’s sons were trying to care for their mother, Wang said she hoped they would consider placing her in a nursing home where she could receive professional care.

Another neighbour also told Shin Min that her family had also been affected by the odour.

"To avoid the smell, we have to keep our doors and windows shut every day," she said.

She added that whenever the neighbouring unit opened its doors or windows, the smell would spread into the corridor.

Even closing her own doors and windows did little to keep it out, she added.

At times, she said, she had to resort to wearing a face mask to sleep.

Assistance had been arranged

Speaking to Shin Min, one of the elderly woman’s sons said they had been contacted by several organisations and that assistance had been arranged to help clean the unit in the coming days.

He added that he was aware that neighbours had lodged complaints, but noted that none had approached him directly.

He said he hoped that residents would speak to him in person should similar issues arise in the future.

He added that since he and his brother were still able to care for their mother, they had not considered placing her in a nursing home.

Situation had improved recently

When Shin Min visited the block, it noted that the foul odour was still noticeable along the corridor outside, though an air freshener was placed near the window of the unit.

Residents living on the 12th and 13th floors told Shin Min that while they had previously noticed the smell, they believed it had eased significantly in recent weeks.

One resident on the 13th floor said he first noticed the smell about two months ago.

Initially, he said he thought the smell was coming from his own toilet, but later realised it was coming from a unit downstairs.

"The smell isn’t constant. Sometimes they switch on the air-conditioning, and you can’t smell it," he said. "But once the doors and windows are opened, the smell spreads."

Another resident said that officers from relevant agencies had previously visited the unit to help with cleaning and that the odour had improved noticeably in recent weeks.

"We’re all neighbours. The smell isn’t so severe that it disrupts our daily lives. We should all be understanding of one another," he said.

The police will be charging a 67-year-old man in court on Jul. 13, 2026, for his suspected involvement in criminal breach of trust by an employee.

The police received a report from the man on Dec. 10, 2025, in which he admitted to misappropriating company funds from his employer over a two-year period.

Over S$600,000 in cash

Officers from Bedok Police Division then established through investigations that the man had allegedly misappropriated over S$600,000 in cash from bank deposit bags entrusted to him in the course of his employment.

The offence was uncovered after company staff discovered the discrepancies during an audit.

He will be charged in court on Jul. 13 with the offence of criminal breach of trust by an employee under Section 408 of the Penal Code 1871.

The offence carries a jail term of up to 15 years, and is also liable to a fine.

At least 27 people have died after a fire broke out at a pub in Chatuchat district, Bangkok on the morning of Jul. 13.

63 others were injured, with 22 people in critical condition, AP News reported.

The dead victims comprised nine men and 18 women, according to the Bangkok Post.

The fire broke out at the Na Ladprao pub around 12:02am (Bangkok time) when many patrons were still inside.

Videos of the fire showed a huge blaze raging and smoke billowing out of the front door as people were seen fleeing the scene.

BREAKING: At least 27 people killed in Bangkok restaurant fire, local media says pic.twitter.com/I1w8nfox6y

— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) July 12, 2026

Some people were seen using fire extinguishers to put out the fire.

According to the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), firefighters brought the blaze under control in about half an hour, reported Bangkok Post.

Most fatalities from smoke inhalation

Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who came down to the scene after the fire, said that most fatalities resulted from smoke inhalation.

He said the cause of the fire is under investigation, but quoted a musician performing at the pub, who told him that he saw smoke coming out of a circuit breaker near the stage.

The power then went out, and an explosion was heard, and thick smoke quickly filled the place, the musician apparently told Anutin.

Flames reportedly spread rapidly through decorations on the ceiling.

Many victims had apparently also rushed to toilets at the back of the pub, where rescuers had difficulty reaching them.

The hawker who ran Chef Hainanese Western Food has died at the age of 82.

Wee Liang Kan is affectionately known as Uncle Wee or Oh Kee.

The stall, which was established in 1969, operated at Tanglin Halt Food Centre before reopening at Margaret Drive Hawker Centre on Aug. 28, 2022.

Wee's wake is being held from Jul. 12 to 15, 2026, in Commonwealth Drive.

Passed away peacefully

According to his obituary, which was posted to the stall's Facebook page, Wee passed away peacefully on Jul. 11.

Wee's stall, which he largely ran alone, was known for its long queues and short operating hours.

The store was open for two hours a day, from 7pm to 9pm, except on Wednesdays and Thursdays, totalling just 10 hours per week.

He served dishes such as sirloin steak, chicken chop, and fish and chips.

In a Facebook post, the administrator of the Facebook group, Hawkers United, Melvin Chew, paid his condolences, saying: "Rip to Uncle Wee of Chef Hainanese Western Food. A hawker legend."

Since the announcement, many customers have come forward to give their condolences, saying that they will miss his food.

A 13-year-old boy was playing at the void deck of an HDB block when he accidentally stepped on a protruding object, which pierced his foot and resulted in a hospital visit.

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, the boy's mother, Tan, said that her son was playing with a ball at the void deck of Block 172B Sengkang East Drive.

He then stepped on a screw-like object.

In the photo Tan showed Shin Min, the object was about three centimetres long and embedded in the concrete floor.

Deep cut

Other family members immediately took the boy to a nearby clinic.

However, the doctor was unable to properly assess the injury as the wound was deep.

Tan then called an ambulance and sent her son to KK Women's and Children's Hospital for further examination.

While an X-ray showed no fractures, the teenager has been put on antibiotics to prevent a potential infection.

Tan told Shin Min that she was heartbroken over the whole incident and sent in her feedback to her Town Council that very night.

Other residents apparently also informed her that similar objects were spotted in other parts of the estate.

"I don't want the same thing to happen to other children. If a child accidentally trips and hits their eye on it, the consequences would be unthinkable," Tan said.

The next day, Tan noted that the object her son had stepped on had been removed by noon, adding that the Town Council had visited in the morning.

When Shin Min visited the area, the object was gone and the ground had been patched with cement.

Nozzle used for waterproofing works

A spokesperson for Sengkang Town Council told Mothership that the object the boy stepped on was a grouting nozzle.

They are also aware of the incident and have been in touch with the family to offer assistance.

The Town Council added that upon receiving the report, they immediately inspected the site and surrounding areas, where they discovered a similar nozzle at a nearby block.

The affected area was cordoned off as a precaution.

These nozzles were used for waterproofing works, but the spokesperson said that they had reviewed their records and confirmed they had not carried out such work at the location.

They have since reported the matter to HDB, and are working with the main contractor to remove the remaining nozzles and patch up affected areas.

When Shin Min reached out to HDB, it said that no protruding nozzles were found during the estate's inspection and handover process.

After the estate's completion in August 2023, HDB said that it had progressively handed over the project's common areas to Sengkang Town Council for management and maintenance.

The specific spot where the incident occurred was handed over in early 2024.

During the handover inspection, no nozzles were found, and HDB added that it has not carried out any further works in the area since.

A woman in China has been reunited with her birth family 35 years after going missing as a toddler, only to discover that she had spent her entire life living just across the street from where she disappeared.

Her father spent decades searching for her without ever finding her.

According to ETtoday, Cui Ning, now 37, went missing in 1991 at the age of two in a market in Nanning, Guangxi, after her father allowed her to go to a nearby stall to buy a bun.

How she disappeared

Cui had been at the market with her father, who was busy managing his vegetable stall.

When she grew restless, he handed her some money and told her to buy buns from a nearby stall. However, she wandered off and crossed the road into a bustling wholesale market on the other side of the street.

A woman selling clothes at the market noticed the lost toddler and made an announcement hoping to find her parents.

Nobody came forward.

Not bearing to leave the little girl behind, the woman brought her home as a temporary measure.

However, she eventually ended up raising Cui as her own daughter.

Cui told ETtoday that her adoptive mother had initially thought she was mute, and later assumed from her accent that she was from Yulin, another city in Guangxi.

A lifetime of searching

Wracked by guilt, Cui's birth father never stopped searching for her.

According to ETtoday, he spent the rest of his life trying to locate his daughter, but died without ever finding her or knowing that she had just been across the street the entire time.

The reunion

Cui told ETtoday that her adoptive parents and brother had treated her well throughout her childhood.

However, with the advent of technology, stories of people reuniting with their biological families have been popular on social media, which prompted her to wonder about her own roots and register her details on a reunion platform.

On Jul. 7 this year, Cui registered her details on a family reunion platform. Within hours, her biological sister had reached out.

The two completed a DNA test, which confirmed their relationship. Cui has since met her birth mother and sister, with all three in tears when they were finally reunited.

A heavily pregnant woman was publicly accused of concealing stolen merchandise in her baby bump by staff at a Lotus's outlet in  Selayang, Malaysia.

The woman's husband, who goes by @fareezshah10 on Threads, shared a detailed account of what happened, saying it was "one of the most humiliating experiences" they've ever had.

What happened next

The couple had just finished paying for their groceries when a male staff member stopped them right outside the cashier area.

According to the husband, the staff member approached them without introducing himself or explaining the situation, and asked his wife what she was hiding in her stomach.

The husband demanded to know what his wife had stolen and who had seen it happen. Rather than producing any evidence, the staff asked for his wife's maternity health booklet and told her to expose her stomach to prove she was pregnant.

He wrote:

"A woman who is 38 weeks pregnant was being asked to prove her pregnancy because someone thought her baby bump looked suspicious."

The couple then continued to stand for nearly 20 minutes, surrounded by other shoppers, while the staff tried to contact their supervisor.

Cashier admitted she never saw any theft

When the supervisor arrived, the husband confronted the cashier who had allegedly flagged them. He asked her directly if she had witnessed his wife stealing anything.

He wrote:

"Her suspicion was simply because my wife's stomach 'didn't look like a pregnant belly' and she thought it looked like someone hiding merchandise. So there was no witness. No evidence. No stolen item. Only an assumption."

The cashier eventually apologised to his wife. The male staff member stayed silent until the husband stepped forward, at which point he too apologised.

"This isn't even about the apology anymore"

In his post, the husband said the incident had left his wife, who is carrying their first child and is due any day, feeling like a criminal.

He wrote:

"This isn't even about the apology anymore. It's about the way my wife was treeated. No pregnant woman deserves to go through this. No customer should be publicly accused without evidence."

Lotus's responds

Lotus has since responded on the post, saying:

"We are deeply sorry to read about your experience and the distress this incident has caused you, especially during you and your wife's pregnancy. We take the concerns you've raised very seriously and have escalated the matter to our management team for an urgent and thorough investigation to establish the full facts."

Netizens react

The incident caused a wave of anger and mockery online.

User @hamiddi_ wrote: "As a husband, I respect this brother. To the Lotus's Malaysia staff, how dare you ask someone's wife to expose her stomach without evidence. I hope legal action can be taken. Tomorrow, whoever goes to Lotus Selayang, before paying, ask the staff: 'Don't you want to check my stomach first?'"

On Facebook, a user wrote: "Your staff at Lotus's Selayang harassed a pregnant woman, accused her of stealing but there was no evidence. Shame on you.”

Others poked fun at the situation. One commenter, Khairul Didie, wrote: "Good morning. I'd like to ask, if my stomach is a bit bloated and my waist is size 38, will I be allowed into Lotus?"

Another commenter joked: "Discrimination against those with round stomachs. Looks like we need to suck in our bellies before entering, or risk being accused of stealing."

Some netizens advised the couple to pursue legal action, with one commenter writing: "Lodge police report, appoint lawyer, let lawyer do the rest. No need to talk with the hypermarket's customer service or communications team. Just go through your lawyer."

From Jul. 5, Go-Ahead Singapore will progressively become the anchor operator at:

• Tampines Bus Interchange,
• Tampines Concourse Bus Interchange,
• Tampines North Bus Interchange, and
• Changi Business Park Bus Terminal.

It will take over the Tampines Bus package, with all bus services transferred from SBS Transit to Go-Ahead Singapore.

Go-Ahead Singapore previously announced that 14 bus services (10, 10E, 18, 20, 31, 39, 65, 129, 292, 293, 298, 299, 454, 646) will be transferred from Jul. 5.

The remaining 15 bus services (4, 19, 23, 28, 29, 37, 38, 47, 69, 72, 81, 127, 291, 296, 460) will continue to operate under SBS Transit until Jul. 19.

The bus company added that there will be no changes to bus routes or fares as a result of the transition.

On Jul. 4, SBS Transit bade farewell to the town in a Facebook post, recalling their initial days back in 1983.

It also thanked the bus captains, interchange and depot staff for their hard over the years, regardless if they were staying on at SBS or "embarking on a new chapter".

Go-Ahead Singapore told The Straits Times (ST) that most of the affected SBS Transit employees have joined them.

Those who stayed have been redeployed to other bus interchanges in the same role, a spokesperson for SBS Transit also told ST.

A family in Thailand had a close call after their pet dog unknowingly carried a live grenade into their home after mistaking it for a toy.

The incident happened in the Non Khun district of Sisaket province, in northeastern Thailand.

According to a Facebook post by the Sisaket Provincial Public Relations Office on Jul. 10, the dog wandered outside to play before returning home with what appeared to be a rusty round object in its mouth.

The dog's owner, Rungnapa Dawta (transliteration), only realised the danger after he picked up the object and found that the grenade's safety pin was still attached.

Dog had been playing and chewing on grenade

The owner had just returned home from the hospital to rest when he discovered the grenade.

He immediately placed the grenade outside his home and alerted his village's community leaders and the authorities.

According to the post, Dawta's elderly relative had thought the object was an old bone or scrap of plastic.

They added that the pet dog had been playing and chewing on the object since morning.

The homeowner said he could not have imagined what might have happened if the dog pulled the pin or dropped it hard enough, reported Khaosod English.

Thai police confirmed grenade was fully operational

The Non Khun district's sheriff, Chaiwat Thammawat (transliteration), and other police officers inspected the area after being informed of the incident.

They later confirmed that the grenade was a Chinese-made Type 82-2 hand grenade.

While the bomb was old, it was still in working condition and was commonly found along the border.

It was later safely transported and detonated in a field far from the village, resulting in a crater that was approximately 30 cm deep and 60 cm wide with no injuries or property damage.

According to Khasod English, Thammawat called the incident an important warning, especially for Thai citizens living in areas where old military supplies and ammunition could be found.

He urged those who encountered suspected explosives or military objects to avoid touching or moving them and to inform the authorities immediately.

Erling Haaland may have been eliminated from the 2026 World Cup, but he made sure to give his supporters one last moment to remember.

After Norway's devastating loss to England, Haaland reportedly became the last Norwegian player to leave the stadium, staying behind to take photos with "family and other fans".

A video of the scene was shared by American sportscaster Josh Moser (@TheMozKnowz) to X, who added that Haaland left the stadium at 9:30pm local time, long after the match had ended at around 7pm.

The post has since gathered more than 1.4 million views.

Fans respond

The gesture drew an outpouring of warmth from fans online, many of whom praised both Haaland and Norway's overall campaign at the tournament.

One X user wrote: "Norway played a fantastic game, the chances just didn't go their way. They have nothing to be ashamed of. They put Norway on the map as real contenders for the next World Cup."

Another wrote: "They will be better than ever when they come back next time! Norway captivated the world!"

Erling Haaland the last Norwegian player to leave the stadium. Stayed behind until 9:30 PM local time to take photos with family and other fans. He became one of the most beloved players in the sport by Americans during this tournament. #worldcup2026 pic.twitter.com/owt0MTIjDX

— Josh Moser (@TheMozKnowz) July 12, 2026

Norway's run came to an end in the quarter-finals, after England's Jude Bellingham secured a comeback win with a double.