A 32-year-old Singaporean man has been sentenced to five years and 11 months' jail for grooming and sexually exploiting an underage girl in the U.S. through video calls.

According to The Straits Times (ST), Sebastian Lye Chee Weng, 32, was also sentenced to three strokes of the cane.

It was further revealed that Lye was being investigated for sexually exploiting another minor during the same period.

The case

Court documents seen by Mothership revealed that Lye first met the girl on the online platform "Omegle" in October 2018 and befriended her.

Omegle is an online platform that connects strangers for text, video, and voice conversations.

The girl was 12 years old at the time.

Lye, then 24, had lied about his age, claiming he was 17 years old to gain her trust.

The two entered a relationship and communicated regularly on platforms including Instagram and Skype.

Court documents reveal that Lye sexually exploited the girl on at least 61 occasions between November 2018 and December 2019, requesting that she perform sexual acts during video calls, which he recorded and screenshotted.

Around the same period, Lye was separately investigated for sexually exploiting another minor, and officers raided his home in November 2018 in connection with that case.

He was eventually convicted in September 2020 and sentenced to over eight months' jail.

Re-offended while on remission

Following his release, Lye was placed on a remission order and was required to stay out of trouble from Mar. 20 to Jun. 13, 2021.

However, he did not comply.

In April 2021, about a month after his release, Lye conducted a video call with the American girl, who was then 14, and again asked her to perform a sexual act.

She complied, and he took at least two screenshots.

The following month, Lye threatened via text message to distribute intimate recordings of her to people she knew, after the girl had attempted to end their relationship.

The victim replied to his message, asking for Lye to leave her alone.

He passed several sexually explicit photographs of her to another individual on Instagram the following day.

The girl subsequently told her parents, and her father reported the matter to U.S. authorities, who then alerted the Singapore Police Force.

Over 12,000 files of sexually explicit material involving children found

When police raided Lye's home in April 2022, they found 12,755 files of sexually explicit material involving children.

In court, Lye pleaded guilty to multiple offences, including the sexual exploitation of a child.

In addition to his jail term and caning, he will serve an additional 66 days' imprisonment for breaching the remission order.

His lawyer also told the court that Lye has "depressive symptoms" and that there is a contributory link between his condition and the offences committed, ST reported.

Lye's bail has been set at S$20,000 and he is expected to begin serving his sentence on Jun. 19.

Singapore has launched its latest supercomputer that is four times more powerful than the previous two models combined.

The supercomputer, named Aspire 2B, will be used to support researchers and national projects and serve as a testbed for emerging AI-driven research approaches in fields such as healthcare, climate modelling, and urban resilience.

It is equipped with 1,500 Nvidia H200 Graphic Processing Units (GPUs), commonly used to train and run AI models.

Aspire 2B was launched on Jun. 8, 2026. by Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo at a launch event in Nanyang Technological University (NTU), where the new supercomputer is housed.

Large models can now be trained locally

Aspire 2B is the newest addition to the family of supercomputers put together by Singapore's National Supercomputing Centre (NSCC).

Speaking at the launch, Teo acknowledged the computing power of the Aspire 2B.

However, she said: "In any case, rather than to focus on the numbers, we should be looking at the scope and substance of our experimentations going forward."

"With Aspire 2B, models that were previously too large can now be trained in Singapore to meet our specific needs," she added.

Teo cited climate modelling as one example of how Aspire 2B can help researchers do more.

With Aspire 2B, researchers can develop advanced "climate modelling approaches that combine AI and physics-based simulations for higher resolution forecasting and more granular climate insights".

"This can help us anticipate intense rainfall and rising seas earlier, and plan our whole urban development and coastal defences around them," Teo shared.

The minister also gave the example of Meralion, the world's first multi-modal model that understands Southeast Asian languages.

Such language models will be "valuable" to companies operating in the region, Teo explained.

Teo added: "Our measure of success cannot be limited to the scale of hardware available. What matters is how well we use the infrastructure."

People and skills are also essential to turn hardware accessibility into tools, the minister said.

Terence Hung, chief executive at NSCC, said Aspire 2B will provide researchers with the "compute capabilities needed to tackle larger and more complex challenges in areas critical to Singapore’s future, including healthcare, sustainability and urban resilience".

"Aspire 2B reflects Singapore’s ambition to strengthen its position in trusted AI and advanced computing," Hung added.

NSCC, founded in 2015 to build Singapore's supercomputing capabilities, celebrates is 10th anniversary in 2026.

Aspire 2B

Aspire 2B is housed in NTU in a facility that measures around 400 square meters.

It is powered by about 1,500 Nvidia H200 GPUs and 184,000 AMD CPUs.

Aspire 2B offers four times the combined computing capacity of its predecessors, Aspire 2A and 2A+.

It will also more than double Singapore's national GPU capacity.

Aspire 2B's GPUs alone will deliver the combined computing power of 120,000 high-end AI laptops.

Altogether, it will deliver up to 115 petaFLOPS of compute power and is capable of more than 100 quadrillion calculations per second.

FLOPS stands for "floating-point operations per second" and is the unit of measurement to calculate the performance capability of a supercomputer, according to HP.

One petaFLOPS equals one quadrillion (1,000,000,000,000,000) FLOPS.

"To illustrate the scale of 115 petaFLOPS, if every person on Earth performed one calculation every second, it would take more than 170 days to match what Aspire 2B can process in a single second," NSCC explained in a press release.

Aspire 2B will be able to provide "enhanced support for integrated workflows combining simulation, data, and AI within a single ecosystem", NSCC described.

Examples of national projects that Aspire 2B will be used for include Simfoni, a Ministry of Health-supported project that aims to strengthen the use of AI in healthcare settings.

Aspire 2B will also be linked to a new quantum computer, which is expected to be installed in Singapore near the end of 2026.

The linking of the two computers will enable researchers to "solve complex problems that are difficult for both systems to handle alone", NSCC said.

S$270 million

Plans for Aspire 2B were first announced in 2024 by then-Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat during the launch of Aspire 2A and 2A+.

Heng said then that Singapore will commit S$270 million to developing the next-generation supercomputer.

Aspire 1, Singapore's first supercomputer, was launched in 2016.

It was then Southeast Asia's most powerful supercomputer.

Aspire 1 was decommissioned in August 2023, ahead of the launch of Aspire 2A and 2A+ in October 2024.

Aspire 2A and 2A+ are housed in the National University of Singapore.

Aspire 2A+ ranked 90th in the top 500 supercomputers list in 2024.

The Aspire supercomputers have supported national programmes, such as the National Environment Agency's Third National Climate Change Study.

Comparing the supercomputer models, NSCC explained that Aspire 2A supports "CPU-intensive workloads", such as climate modelling, materials science and engineering simulations, and Aspire 2A+ "strengthens capabilities for AI and accelerated computing".

On the other hand, Aspire 2B will bring these capabilities together "at a greater scale", and enable "more complex and integrated research" in various fields and research areas.

Aspire stands for "Advanced Supercomputer for Petascale Innovation Research & Enterprise".

People's Action Party (PAP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Tampines GRC, Charlene Chen, dug through a Bloobin recycling bin and found a half-eaten sandwich, fried rice, and cigarette butts.

She was taking a closer look at the Bloobin to uncover common recycling mistakes and create awareness to prevent contamination of recyclables.

In a Facebook post on May 26, captioned "What’s really inside our Bloobins?", Chen noted that "While many have the right intention to recycle, recycling right makes all the difference". 

In the video, Chen, who is also the Vice-Chairman of Tampines Town Council, said, "Sometimes, people put things in that shouldn't be in there."

"If there's food waste in there, the cockroach will have a feast in there. We don't want the cockroaches to have a feast in there."

Food waste attracts pests

In the video, Chen could be seen sorting through recyclables from plastic milk containers to cardboard boxes.

She found multiple food items that should not be in the Bloobin, as it would attract pests such as rodents.

Chen also found nonrecyclable trash, which should be put into the green bins for general waste disposal.

In her caption, she said, "one contaminated item can render the entire batch unrecyclable".

Cigarette butts may cause recyclables to catch fire

While sorting through cardboard boxes, Chen found a cigarette butt.

Besides being unrecyclable in regular Bloobins, cigarettes with sparks may cause the bins' recyclables to catch fire.

Other items that cannot be recycled include toilet paper, paper towels, tissue paper, and styrofoam.

These items should be kept out of the Bloobin so that it will not overflow.

Items that can be recycled, such as cardboard, egg cartons, and certain plastics, should be kept clean, dry, and contamination-free.

In her caption, Chen added that cardboard boxes should also be flattened before disposal.

If one spots an overflowing Bloobin, feedback can be sent via the myENV App, linked here.

For more information on recycling right, check out the Clean and Green Singapore website.

A Malaysian woman took to social media to share her experience after her three-year-old child doodled on her passport while she was packing for a work trip.

In a Threads post, the woman revealed what happened on Jun. 6 night.

Packing for trip

The woman was apparently packing her luggage for a work trip when her child managed to get a hold of her passport.

He then proceeded to doodle over it using a blue ballpoint pen.

"My heart wants to cry," she wrote.

In the post, her child could be seen smiling as he held up the damaged passport.

The child also appeared to have doodled what appeared to be a dinosaur on one of the pages of her passport.

The caption in a subsequent post read: “I hate dinosaur!”

Damaged

The woman then visited the immigration department office in Putrajaya for help.

An immigration officer deemed her passport damaged and could no longer be used for travel.

As the incident occurred on a Saturday, she was apparently unable to obtain a replacement passport and would have to wait until Monday, Jun. 8.

The woman was unable to board her flight as planned.

As a result, she made an arrangement with Qatar Airways and rescheduled her flight to Monday evening, resulting in additional charges amounting to RM620 (S$204) for flight changes.

Reflections

The woman reflected on her predicament and joked that her child just wanted to hug her for a few more days, adding that she was not upset with him as he was still young.

She mentioned that her child was still smiling after the incident.

The woman also expressed her gratitude to the immigration officer who helped her.

A six-year-old boy was mauled to death by a pet monkey that his grandfather kept in Sichon district in Nakhon Si Thammarat, Thailand.

The incident occurred on the morning of Jun. 6 in a home located in a village in the Thepharat subdistrict, Bangkok Post and Khaosod reported.

Bitten

The boy, identified as Nathan Ekkarat Srichan, walked past the monkey and was attacked.

The monkey purportedly grabbed Ekkarat and bit him in the chest and leg.

Its fangs also apparently penetrated the boy's lungs.

Relatives rushed the boy to a local hospital, but doctors were unable to save him.

He eventually succumbed to his injuries.

According to local media, he was reportedly a first-grade student.

Tethered

The monkey, a macaque, was reportedly tethered at the time of the incident.

It was attached to a rope strung between two trees beside the house, with a wooden beam allowing it to climb and move around.

The monkey was kept beside a village grocery store owned by his grandfather, Jaroon.

Jaroon apparently kept the monkey for companionship since it was an infant.

It is believed that Ekkarat did not sense any danger when he wandered too close to the monkey.

Local police also said the monkey remained tethered at the same location as the investigation was carried out.

The man who allegedly crashed his car into a rubbish chute at Yishun Street 11 was charged with driving while under the influence of methamphetamine and four other traffic offences on Jun. 8.

According to charge sheets seen by Mothership, the accused, Sivakandesh, who goes by one name, was previously disqualified from holding or obtaining a driving license for a period of 48 months from Jul. 23, 2024, to Jul. 22, 2026.

Court documents did not state the reason for his disqualification.

On Jun. 6 at around 5:58pm, the 32-year-old drove within the open space carpark of 150 Yishun Street 11, stated court documents.

He allegedly drove without due care and attention, failing to maintain proper control.

Struck 2 concrete bollards, parked car and rubbish chute

Sivakandesh allegedly collided with two concrete bollards, a parked car and a Housing Development Board (HDB) rubbish chute before stopping.

According to charge sheets, the Singapore-registered car allegedly did not have any insurance policy or such a security in respect of third-party risks and was not compliant with motor vehicle laws.

Sivakandesh was accused of leaving the scene and also allegedly failed to take reasonable steps to inform the owners of the parked car and structures of the accident.

It was previously reported that he allegedly fled the scene before the police arrived and locked himself in a residential unit.

Stun device and suspected drug paraphernalia found in vehicle

In previous reports, the police said a stun device and drug paraphernalia were found in the vehicle.

Sivakandesh was remanded from Jun. 8; his bail was set at S$25,000.

His case will be mentioned again on Jul. 20.

A first-time offender can face up to a year of jail, a fine of S$10,000 or both for driving while under the influence of an intoxicating substance.

Repeat offenders face up to two years' jail and a fine of up to S$20,000.

A 43-year-old Myanmar national was sentenced to 16 weeks’ jail and three strokes of the cane after he overstayed in Singapore and paid S$3,000 to be smuggled out of the country in the boot of a car.

The accused, Min Aung Ngwe Paing, pleaded guilty to two of four charges on Jun. 5, Shin Min Daily News reported.

The other charges were taken into consideration during sentencing.

Overstayed

In charge sheets seen by Mothership, Min entered Singapore on Sep. 23, 2013, and was issued a 30-day visit pass that expired on Oct. 23 of the same year.

He remained in Singapore illegally for 137 days after the expiry of his visit pass.

Min reportedly overstayed to look for work.

Smuggled out

According to Shin Min, he feared getting arrested.

He was then introduced to an unidentified man who agreed to help him leave Singapore illegally in exchange for S$3,000.

At about 11pm on Mar. 9, 2014, the pair met at a car park near Woodlands.

The man then instructed Min to hide in the boot of the car, saying he would drive him through Woodlands Checkpoint into Malaysia.

Min agreed and paid the man.

About 40 minutes later, he arrived in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

He then travelled to Thailand by bus before eventually making his way back to Myanmar.

Returned to Singapore

After spending about nine years outside of Singapore, Min decided to return to the country on Nov. 14, 2024.

He reportedly returned to look for work due to the civil unrest in Myanmar.

Min paid approximately S$610 to an agent to obtain a passport with particulars that did not match his identity.

Arrested

On May 12, Min was arrested.

At the time of his arrest, he had overstayed in Singapore for about one year, five months and 28 days.

Min pleaded for leniency, saying that his parents were old and he hoped to return to Myanmar as soon as possible.

Operations have resumed at ONE°15 Marina Sentosa Cove after a fire involving a superyacht berthed there on Jun. 7.

In a statement released on the private club's website and social media on Jun. 8, ONE°15 Marina Sentosa Cove confirmed that the fire on Eagle Wings III has been extinguished.

There were no reported injuries, and marina operations have resumed after clearance by the authorities.

The affected berth has remained closed as a precaution, "with appropriate safety and environmental barriers in place", ONE°15 Marina said in its post.

The cause of the fire is still under investigation, and the management is working closely with the relevant authorities.

In the meantime, the clubhouse remains fully operational.

What happened

The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) was alerted to the fire at about 8:10am on Jun. 7.

SCDF land-based resources arrived at the scene within seven minutes and deployed a water jet from the pontoon to fight the fire, which fully engulfed the yacht.

During the firefighting effort, the yacht began drifting away from the pontoon, prompting the activation of an SCDF Marine Vessel for support.

The yacht was revealed to be owned by chairman and founder of EagleWings Yacht Charters, Julian Theng.

"It was tough seeing Eagle Wings III go up in flames. So sudden and unexpected that a piece of my heart sank with it," Theng said.

A married couple were found dead in a hotel at Hua Hin, Thailand, on Jun. 7.

According to Khaosod English, the 43-year-old man and his 29-year-old wife had checked into the hotel one day before the incident.

Surveillance footage reviewed by authorities showed that at around 2:45am, the couple left their room and retrieved a chair from the 15th floor before making their way up to the 16th floor, local newspaper Siam Rath reported.

The footage captured the duo holding hands and embracing before stepping onto the chair and jumping over the balcony.

They fell to the third floor and died instantly.

A handwritten note was later recovered from their room, in which the pair apologised to family members.

The note said they had "fought as hard as possible" and were exhausted, and included expressions of love for the man's mother and their daughter.

Investigators found no evidence of foul play or any irregularities at the scene.

Family members later told police that the couple had been under considerable financial pressure due to mounting debts.

Investigations are ongoing as authorities work to determine the exact cause and circumstances of the deaths.

Thai authorities are encouraging anyone in emotional distress or facing serious personal difficulties to seek help from loved ones, a medical professional, or the Mental Health Hotline 1323, which operates around the clock.

Helplines

If you or someone you know are in mental distress, here are some hotlines you can call to seek help, advice, or just a listening ear:

National mindline.sg Hotline: 1771 (24 hours)

National mindline.sg WhatsApp: 66691771 (24 hours)

SOS 24-hour Hotline: 1-767

Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019

Centre for Domestic Employees: 1800 225 5233 (24 hours)

Foreign Domestic Worker Association for Social Support and Training: 1800 339 4357 (24 hours)

HOME: 1800 797 7977 or +65 9787 3122 (WhatsApp / Viber / SMS)

The Singapore police have arrested 13 men, aged between 21 and 39, for being suspected members of unlawful societies during an island-wide secret societies suppression operation conducted on May 22 and 23.

The operation was led by the Secret Societies Branch of the Criminal Investigation Department and supported by Ang Mo Kio, Tanglin, Jurong and Woodlands Police Divisions, the police said in a Jun. 4 release.

About 35 public entertainment outlets, nightlife establishments and food and beverage outlets, as well as close to 100 persons were checked during the island-wide operation.

Police investigations against all 13 men are ongoing.

Penalties

Anyone found guilty of being a member of an unlawful society under the Societies Act 1966 shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding S$10,000, a jail term not exceeding three years, or both.

The police said they have zero tolerance towards any secret society and unlawful activities that threaten the public safety, peace, and good order of the community.

"We will continue to work closely with relevant stakeholders to conduct regular enforcement operations at the various public entertainment and nightlife establishments and popular congregation hotspots," the police added.

The police also said firm action will be taken against anyone who is associated with the secret societies and choose to flout the law.

The police also advised the public to steer clear of secret society activities and to report those engaging in such unlawful activities to the police immediately.