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.

The police are appealing for information on the whereabouts of 15-year-old Destinee Loo Xing Yi.

She was last seen wearing a black top, shorts and slippers in the vicinity of Block 443A New Punggol Road on Jun. 29 at about 8:30pm.

Anyone with information is requested to call the police hotline at 1800-255-0000 or submit information online at www.police.gov.sg/i-witness.

All information will be kept strictly confidential.

Marmite — a dark, sticky, and savoury British food condiment made from yeast extract — has gone notably missing from supermarket shelves in Singapore.

This comes as its distributor, Unilever Asia, has reportedly decided to discontinue the brand in Singapore.

In response to CNA’s queries, Unilever International said on Jul. 28: "Following ongoing supply challenges, we have made the difficult decision to discontinue the Marmite brand in Singapore."

They did not elaborate on what the supply challenges were, CNA noted.

Supermarkets in Singapore

When Mothership visited Cold Storage at Nex shopping mall on Jul. 23, the Marmite shelf was empty.

In response to Mothership's queries, Cold Storage said it is currently not carrying Marmite in its stores, but is working with suppliers to bring in alternative stocks.

The timeline on this is still being finalised, it told CNA.

FairPrice similarly told Mothership that it is diversifying its sources to bring in "alternative overseas stocks" of Marmite for its customers.

Meanwhile, a Sheng Siong spokesperson told Mothership that both Marmite and Bovril are currently unavailable at their stores.

Marmite has been available in Singapore since the British colonial era, and is used in popular zi char dishes such as Marmite chicken and Marmite pork ribs.

A 40-year-old Singaporean man, who drove his Porsche with his two young sons sitting on top of its boot, was fined and banned from driving on Jul. 29.

According to a report by CNA, Prem Anan Sugunakumar pleaded guilty to one charge of a rash act endangering personal safety.

He was fined S$5,000 and banned from driving for six months.

Children seen sitting on Porsche

The incident took place on Oct. 20, 2025.

A video of two boys that subsequently circulated online showed them sitting on the back of a moving Porsche.

In the video, a Porsche could be seen travelling along Dairy Farm Lane in Bukit Panjang, while the boys sat on the rear of the car, gripping onto the spoiler for support.

A woman could be seen standing on the side of the road, seemingly recording a video or taking photos of the children.

Thought it would be an "enjoyable experience"

CNA reported that Prem's sons were aged seven and eight at the time.

That morning, Prem decided to spend some time with his sons.

He drove his Porsche to Dairy Farm Lane, a two-lane road near their home, and brought the boys to the vehicle.

He then lifted the children onto the boot, where they sat facing the road behind them.

The charge sheet seen by Mothership stated that Prem proceeded to drive towards Dairy Farm Heights at a moderate speed with his sons on top of the boot.

His wife filmed the incident, and Prem later uploaded the video to TikTok.

Another motorist travelling in the opposite direction saw what happened and made a police report that same day.

According to CNA, Prem knew his actions could endanger his children, and he told the court he had done so as he thought it would be an "enjoyable experience" for his sons.

More than 15 traffic violations

Prem had committed over 15 traffic violations between 2004 and 2020, CNA reported.

These included offences such as speeding, inconsiderate driving, and unauthorised parking.

The prosecution sought the maximum fine of S$5,000 and a six months' disqualification from driving for Prem.

The prosecutor said it was "purely fortuitous" that the children were not injured, noting that they were particularly vulnerable due to their young age.

As their father, Prem should be expected to prioritise or at least look out for his children's safety.

However, he deliberately placed them in a position of danger, the prosecution argued.

The defence sought a fine of between S$3,500 and S$4,000, as well as a four- to six-month disqualification from driving.

Prem's lawyer said he did not intend to minimise the seriousness of the offence, and noted that his client had a clear responsibility to protect his children as their father and driver.

He said Prem had pleaded guilty early, shown remorse and had a "positive character".

He argued that the maximum fine was not warranted, pointing to Prem's close relationship with his sons and his efforts to spend time with them despite the demands of running his businesses.

Prem's lawyer also described him as a "constant source" of emotional support, guidance and stability for his sons.

The court also heard about Prem's charitable contributions, including helping with a food distribution drive and taking part in initiatives for children and seniors.

Sentencing

In considering the sentence, the judge expressed concern over Prem's driving record, noting that he did not appear to have regard for traffic laws, CNA reported.

Prem said he had reflected on his past offences and pointed out that he had maintained a clean driving record for the past six years.

The judge told him that this offence was extremely serious, but said he was prepared to accept both sides' submissions that a jail term was not warranted and reminded Prem not to commit such a rash act again in the future.

If convicted of a rash act endangering the safety of others, one could be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$2,500, or both.

In Prem's case, as the offence was against children below the age of 14, the maximum penalties were doubled.

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.

View this post on Instagram

 

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.