The brother of a 20-year-old Singaporean woman who was recently reported missing in Cambodia shared that she is safely back in Singapore and has apologised on behalf of his family.

In a statement on his Facebook, Aishah Siregar's brother, Syafiq Siregar, thanked all who worked to help locate Aishah and ensure her return to the family.

Syafiq then went on to apologise for "everything that has happened".

Incredibly distressing time

"This has been an incredibly distressing time for our family, especially for a mother who suddenly lost contact with her daughter after seeing her child every day for the past 20 years," he wrote.

Syafiq went on to apologise on behalf of his family for any words that were taken out of context due to the nature of the incident.

He also shared that his father's social media accounts had been suspended for an unknown reason.

"Our intentions were never to hurt the feelings of the people of Cambodia, but only to find our sister and bring her home safely. We are unable to control what the public or media say, report, or speculate," he added, hoping people would understand his family's fear and desperation.

Stress and restricted

When Aishah was found, she had addressed the public through a video statement, saying that she travelled to Cambodia of her own free will and that she had not been scammed or forced.

Aishah said that she had been experiencing stressful living conditions while in Singapore and wanted to find her own path.

"That's why on the 20th of July, I decided to leave on my own and come to Cambodia to work as an English teacher," she said.

Aishah added that the decision to go to Cambodia was "entirely [her] choice" and said she was not forced or scammed.

"I have not been forced to come here. I have not been scammed into coming here. It is entirely up to my own decisions and my own concerns about it," she said.

She also said she has not been involved in or forced to participate in any scamming or criminal activities.

In his statement, Syafiq said that the family acknowledges Aishah's feelings of stress and restriction.

He added that they will take her feelings seriously, listen to them and address the concerns privately as a family.

Clarification

However, he shared that the family is saddened by the speculation and negative comments directed at them regarding certain claims.

He went on to clarify certain claims that have been circulating online and "taken out of context".

When Aishah was first reported missing, Syafiq told Malay media Berita Harian that the family was on their way to pick her up from school at about 5pm when they found that her phone number was no longer contactable and her WhatsApp account was no longer active.

They also found that Aishah's passport was not at home. The police subsequently confirmed that Aishah had already left Singapore via a flight.

When they tried to log into her email, they reportedly found a flight ticket booking to Cambodia and believed that she had flown off to Phnom Penh.

According to CNA, other emails showed that Aishah had transferred hundreds of dollars to an unknown person days before she went missing.

Access to personal account, pick up from school

Syafiq stated in the statement that no one in the family had access to Aishah's personal accounts before her disappearance.

He also clarified that their parents do not pick up Aishah from school every day, explaining that Aishah would be given a ride on occasion, when she requested it or when the parents offered.

As for the letter that Aishah wrote, Syafiq said that it was submitted to the Singapore Police Force when the initial police report was lodged.

"This has been an extremely distressing experience for everyone involved. We respectfully ask the public not to make further assumptions or direct hurtful comments towards Aishah or our family...

As my sister is back on Singapore soil, we ask everyone to give my family and Aishah some room and privacy at this point of time to heal."

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A group of Aljunied residents banded together to surprise Workers' Party chief and Aljunied Member of Parliament (MP) Pritam Singh, ahead of his 50th birthday on Aug. 2.

Singh shared a video of himself being surprised by some residents at his Tea With Residents with a birthday celebration, complete with cake and a card on Jul. 25.

Singh thanked those who arranged the surprise, adding that it has been his privilege and honour to be part of the community.

"Thank you so much for welcoming me and my colleagues and my friends in the work that we do. Your effort, your support to us mean a lot to us. And my style has been very simple: just help everybody. Don't think so much about who like who, who support who. Not important.

I'm the MP now, I'll just do my best."

A group of men in Klang, Malaysia, were caught on camera after allegedly beating a dog to death, despite pleas from the owner.

Taking to Instagram, the owner of the dog, Rocky, shared that she had begged the men to leave the dog alone.

"As his owner, the only thing I was able to do at that moment was beg them. I begged them so many times to leave Rocky alone, but they still didn't stop. Even after my mum shouted at them and begged them to leave him, they still didn't let him go," she wrote on Instagram.

She added that Rocky had never bitten anyone and they had never received any complaints about him.

"We genuinely don't understand why this happened or why they decided to kill him."

Beaten and captured

According to the animal welfare group, Persatuan Haiwan Terbiar Malaysia (SAFM), Rocky was allegedly beaten, captured, strangled using a cable/wire and dragged by a group of local men on Jul. 29.

Witnesses shared that Rocky was beaten before being captured and strangled.

When Rocky's owner arrived, the dog was already in a noose.

SAFM added that while trying to save Rocky, its owner was reportedly struck several times on her right arm with a wooden stick. Another man apparently grabbed her arm to stop her from reaching Rocky.

SAFM pointed out that two officers from the Royal City Council of Klang were present at the scene, and questioned their presence.

A stray dog capture operation

In a statement on Facebook, the South Klang Police chief said the incident took place during a stray dog capture operation conducted by the Royal City Council of Klang with the assistance of residents from the housing estates.

The police added that it has opened an investigation under Section 428 of the Penal Code for the offence of committing mischief by killing an animal.

Complaints regarding safety concerns

The Royal City Council of Klang (MBDK) shared on Facebook that it was carrying out the operation following official complaints from residents about safety concerns due to a large number of stray dogs in the area.

It added that the surrounding area previously experienced stray dog attacks, with one incident nearly killing a child.

MBDK stated that during the operation, a group of individuals obstructed MBDK personnel attempting to capture a dog found roaming unattended on a public road.

It claimed an individual acted aggressively by attempting to cut the loop rope with a knife and threatened to harm themselves if the dog was not released.

"The ensuing struggle and scuffle made it difficult for MBDK officers to loosen and remove the loop equipment in order to safeguard the animal's welfare, resulting in the animal's death," said MBDK.

"MBDK expresses its regret over the incident and remains committed to carrying out enforcement duties professionally, prudently, and in compliance with recognised animal welfare standards.

MBDK also urges all pet owners to act responsibly by ensuring that their pets' licences remain valid and by not allowing their animals to roam freely in a manner that endangers public safety."

The organisation said that it has left the investigation entirely to the police.

The queen consort of the Sultan of Selangor, Tengku Permaisuri Hajah Norashikin, who is the Royal Patron of the Stray Free Selangor initiative, expressed her sadness over the incident and added that the public's trust in public institutions can only be strengthened if public servants act with professionalism.

Nine people, comprising eight men and a woman, will be charged between in court on Aug. 3 for their suspected involvement in the sexual exploitation of minors.

According to a press release by the Singapore Police Force (SPF), they are aged between 20 and 41, and were arrested following an investigations into the sexual exploitation of two minors, who were below 18 years old when the offences were committed.

The arrests were carried out by officers from the Specialised Crime Branch of the Criminal Investigation Department.

Woman allegedly exploited both victims

Preliminary investigations revealed that the 20-year-old woman had allegedly exploited both victims by facilitating the provision of commercial sexual services and profiting from these arrangements.

She is also believed to have allegedly recruited one of the victims for the purpose of exploitation.

She will be charged with one count of exploitation and one count of knowingly receiving payments in connection with the exploitation of a trafficked victim under the Prevention of Human Trafficking Act 2014, and also face additional charges related to the facilitation of commercial sexual services and cheating offences.

Both the charge of exploitation and the charge of knowingly receiving payments connected to a trafficked victim carries a fine of up to S$100,000, an imprisonment term of up to 10 years, and up to six strokes of the cane.

In addition, under the Women's Charter, any person who knowingly lives wholly or in part on the earnings of the prostitution of another person shall be liable on conviction to a fine of up to S$100,000, and an imprisonment term of up to seven years.

Men had allegedly obtained sexual services from one of the victims

The SPF further stated that through follow-up investigations, the identities of the eight victims who had allegedly obtained commercial sexual services from one of the victims were established.

Each of them will be charged with at one least one count of obtaining commercial sex with a minor below 18 years of age.

Three of the men will also be charged with possession of obscene films in relation to unrelated obscene materials found during investigations.

Under the Penal Code, any person who obtains, for consideration, the sexual services of a person below 18 years of age is liable on conviction to an imprisonment term not exceeding seven years, a fine, or both.

As for the possession of obscene films, they are liable on conviction to a fine of up to S$20,000, an imprisonment term not exceeding six months, or both.

The group behind the Changi intertidal foraging that made headlines over the past week has been disbanded.

According to Lianhe Zaobao, the group, which grew from 180 members to nearly 900 members in July 2026, was disbanded on Jul. 26.

The group administrator announced in the group chat that the group was disbanding due to public pressure and the ongoing controversy.

The incident

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.

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.

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.

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

Created to exchange information

The intertidal foraging group was created by a man who shared his foraging experience on the Chinese social media site Douyin.

The man shared videos of his foraging trips and catches, which went viral on Douyin, leading other users to enquire about the location, the tide times, and whether they could participate, Lianhe Zaobao said.

From there, the group was created to allow interested participants to arrange trips together, exchange information about tides and weather, where to catch crabs and shellfish, and share videos and photos of their catch.

A Lianhe Zaobao reporter who joined the group saw that they would organise at least three intertidal foraging trips a week.

Numerous members in the group would organise trips, checking the tides themselves and recruiting others to join them on the way to coastal areas like Changi, Sembawang, Punggol and Pasir Ris.

The group chat also contained information that teaches beginners how to forage along the coast, including an equipment list, an introduction to a tide app, and satellite maps and route guides for specific locations.

The reporter also noted that people would share their intertidal foraging trips, with some members sharing that they would take their catches home or send them to restaurants to be cooked.

Disband

Following the viral video that drew a lot of backlash online, the 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, Lianhe Zaobao reported.

The administrator also reminded the group to abide by the rules, forage in a "civilised manner", not collect protected species, and not damage the marine environment.

However, Lianhe Zaobao noted that some group members still went to forage at Sembawang a day after the administrator's announcement.

The group shared the videos but were asked to remove them.

On Jul. 26, the administrator disbanded the chat entirely.

Not illegal to forage

Karenne Tun, 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.

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At least three people are dead and two are wounded following a shooting at an In-and-Out burger outlet in the U.S. state of Idaho, with the number of victims expected to be higher.

According to The New York Times, the incident took place on Aug. 1 in the city of Twin Falls.

The city's police chief, Matthew Hicks, was quoted as saying that the shooter is dead. However, it is unclear if the shooter is among the three known fatalities.

How the shooter died and the circumstances leading up the shooting, as well as the motive, are also unknown.

Hundreds of people in vicinity of shooting

Hicks further noted that there were "hundreds of people" in the vicinity of the restaurant at the time of the shooting.

A resident, Haley Dodaro, said she and her mother had been waiting in the drive-thru line when they saw workers running out of the restaurant and people dashing across the road, AP News reported.

They thought it was a fire at first until a man who was redirecting traffic told them it was a shooter.

Another member of the public, Nayeli Rodriguez, who was in the restaurant at the time of the shooting was quoted as saying that they heard shots from the kitchen, with an employee telling people to get down.

An older man protected her and her daughters and when they ran out of the restaurant, some strangers let them into their car for shelter.

A third member of the public, Lane Koehn, was quoted by The Guardian as saying that he was at a traffic light near the In-and-Out outlet when he saw someone with a AR-style rifle emerge from it.

A man with a pistol then started firing at the shooter.

Koehn added that he then saw an In-and-Out employee drag a woman who was bleeding from a gunshot wound across the outlet's parking lot.

Koehn said he then stayed with the woman, along with the employee and the man with the pistol, until paramedics arrived.

Throughout the incident, Koehn noted that the shooter fired at least three or four rounds. However, it was unclear who the shooter who was targeting.

The incident is currently under investigation.

Malaysia's Transport Minister and Secretary-General of the Democratic Action Party (DAP), Anthony Loke, has lost his seat in the election for the state of Negri Sembilan.

According to Free Malaysia Today, he narrowly lost his bid for a third term in the constituency of Chennah by 688 votes to the Youth chief of the Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), Siew Kong Chun, who was running as part of Barisan Nasional's (BN) coalition.

Considering giving up his position as state chairman

Following his defeat, Loke said he was considering relinquishing his position as DAP state chairman in Negri Sembilan, The Star reported.

As for his position as Secretary-General of the DAP, Loke added:

"Before I make a decision, as far as my role as the DAP secretary-general, of course I will discuss further with the DAP central executive committee on our way forward,” he added."

Loke was one of two heavyweights from Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim's ruling coalition, Pakatan Harapan (PH), that were defeated in the Negri Sembilan state election, with DAP a member party of the coalition.

The other figure was Aminuddin Harun, PH's state chairman and Chief Minister of Negri Sembilan, in the constituency of Linggi, where he had been chief minister for two years.

His defeat came after moving to there from Sikamat, a constituency he had held for four terms since 2008.

He lost by 2,976 votes to Faizal Ramli from BN.

In total, BN won 25 out the state's 36 seats, together with its ally Perikatan Nasional (PN), while PH won 11 seats, down from 17 seats in the previous 2023 election.

A man, 56, used a catapult to shoot marbles at a flock of birds along Woodlands Ring Road.

One of the marbles was believed to have hit and damaged a bedroom window of a residential unit.

Extensive ground enquiries

On Jul. 28, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) was alerted to the damaged bedroom window of the residential unit along Block 664 Woodlands Ring Road.

The damage was believed to be caused by a projectile.

The police conducted extensive ground enquiries, and officers from Woodlands identified the man and arrested him on Aug. 1.

A catapult, an assortment of marbles and pebbles were seized as case exhibits.

Investigations revealed that the man had used the catapult to shoot marbles at a flock of birds along Woodlands Ring Road.

One of the marbles he shot was believed to have hit and damaged the bedroom window.

The man will be charged on Aug. 3 with the offence of Rash Act.

If found guilty, could face a jail term of up to six months, a fine of up to S$2,500, or both.

"The police take a serious view of these dangerous acts, and will spare no effort to track down those who endanger the safety of others and damage property," said the SPF.

TikTok CEO Chew Shou Zi delivered a 10-minute speech to Nanyang Technological University's class of graduating PhD students on Aug. 1, urging them to embrace uncertainty at a time of massive structural change.

From Yishun to Harvard

Chew was speaking at NTU's PhD conferment ceremony, where he called on graduates to use their expertise to make a meaningful global impact.

In his speech, he recounted his own history with education and technology, describing his journey from Yio Chu Kang to Hwa Chong to the London School of Economics and eventually to Harvard, saying that at each stage his educational journey broadened his horizons.

Chew also spoke briefly about how his father had introduced him to the world of tech with an early computer, which he admitted that he spent playing computer games rather than “coding brilliant software.”

He shared his experiences transitioning from growing up in an analogue world to launching his career during the digital transformation to running TikTok in an age of AI, emphasising that technology is not just about "hardware and code", but about unlocking human potential.

"It's about taking a single idea and giving it the scale to reach millions or billions."

Seek out the unknown

Chew credited the graduating class with having the ability to take very complex knowledge and turn it into something that enriches people's lives.

"Now, starting today, this mission belongs to you. It's time for you to take the lead."

Chew spoke about how the present moment was one of massive structural change, which he called a pivotal and exciting point in history, where change was not just constant but also exponential and compounding.

He said that if he were advising a younger version of himself — and by extension, the current crop of doctoral graduates — he would tell him to "actively seek out the unknown".

"You've just spent years earning a PhD, proving that you already know how to push the boundaries of human knowledge," said Chew.

"Now, take that superpower and apply it to the messy, ambiguous problems of the real world."

Urging them to rely on their network of peers with whom they were graduating, Chew told the graduates that community is "what sustains us, reminds us of our purpose, and reflects back to us what we are truly capable of."

A 30-year-old man was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence of drugs after colliding into a lorry.

The incident occurred on the afternoon of Jul. 28 at the junction of Bukit Batok East Avenue 4 and Bukit Batok East Avenue 2.

In a photo circulating online, the front of the van appeared to be crushed.

In response to queries, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the accident at about 5:05pm.

The man was trapped in the driver’s seat of the van.

Authorities also found a vaporiser and a pod.

He was extracted from the crash by SCDF officers using hydraulic rescue equipment before being conveyed to National University Hospital.

The vape-related offence has been referred to the Health Sciences Authority (HSA).

Investigations are ongoing.