SGNews
01

IMH de-escalation training halves physical assaults in trial

  • Code Grey team initiative ran as a six-month pilot
  • Scaling to all 40 wards by December 2027
  • Success measured as resolving a crisis without restraint
Sources (3) STZBTM
  • ST ST Front Page — “IMH nurses trained to defuse tense situations before they escalate”
  • ZB Local News — “护士接受特训助精神病房肢体冲突大减 (Special training for nurses sharply reduces physical conflict in psychiatric wards)”
  • TM Front Page — “'ஐஎம்எச்' தாதியர்க்குச் சிறப்புப் பயிற்சி (Special training for IMH nurses)”
02

Australia lifts student visa fee to A$2,500, ASEAN pays A$2,050

  • Third increase in three years, from A$710 in July 2024
  • Pacific nations including Timor-Leste already pay A$745
  • US charges US$535, Britain £558
Sources (3) STBHTM
  • ST ST Front Page — “Australia imposes 25% hike on student visa fees, but S-E Asians get a pass”
  • BH Dunia — “Australia naikkan 25% bayaran visa pelajar antarabangsa kecuali Asean (Australia raises international student visa fees by 25%, except for ASEAN)”
  • TM Front Page — “ஆஸ்திரேலிய மாணவர் விசா கட்டண உயர்வு; ஆசியானுக்கு விதிவிலக்கு (Australian student visa fee increase; exemption for ASEAN)”
03

Shanmugam flags long hours and toxic cultures in law practice

  • Attrition stable over a decade; profession has grown steadily
  • Law Society task force plus a joint committee with the judiciary
  • 245 NUS Law freshmen took the ethics pledge at the ceremony
Sources (4) STZBBHTM
  • ST Big Story — “Attrition among lawyers stable, but issues remain: Shanmugam”
  • ZB News Focus — “尚穆根：我国仍须正视律师流失问题 (Shanmugam: Singapore must still confront the loss of lawyers)”
  • BH Berita — “Shanmugam: Bilangan peguam tinggalkan kerjaya di S'pura stabil (Shanmugam: The number of lawyers leaving the profession in Singapore is stable)”
  • TM Local News — “சட்டத்துறை பணியில் தொடரும் சவால்கள்: அமைச்சர் சண்முகம் (Continuing challenges in legal work: Minister Shanmugam)”
04

PAP Women's Wing wants Baby Bonus extended past age 7

  • Six sessions since May, over 500 attendees including men
  • Also seeking Baby Bonus for single unmarried parents
  • Cost, time and health raised consistently as parents' concerns
Sources (1) ST
  • ST Big Story — “PAP Women's Wing to push for more financial support for parents and enhanced childcare leave”
05

Jasmin Lau: schools must cultivate and assess discernment

  • Session on the future of education, July 26, organised by Lianhe Zaobao with MOE
  • Names discernment, problem solving and communication as workplace-critical
  • Her stated concern: loss of human conversation to AI
Sources (3) STZB
  • ST Big Story — “Schools must help students develop discernment in AI age: Jasmin Lau”
  • ZB Local News — “勿让AI助学略过挣扎求知 也须慎防削弱人际交流 (Do not let AI-assisted learning skip the struggle of seeking knowledge, and guard against weakening human interaction)”
  • ZB Local News — “教育界吁检讨直接收生计划　珍视孩子好奇心 (Educators call for a review of the Direct School Admission scheme and for valuing children's curiosity)”
06

Apac living-sector investment jumps 38% to US$13.8b

  • Second-fastest growing real estate sector after senior housing
  • BlackRock ranks Japan and Singapore the region's top two markets
  • PGIM has US$1.85b deployed; living is 60% of its 2025 acquisitions and lending
Sources (1) BT
  • BT Front Page — “Investors home in on Singapore and Hong Kong in US$13.8b Apac living sector boom”
07

DeepSeek suspends second funding round after leaked remarks

  • Comments attributed to Liang Wenfeng on Nvidia reliance and China's AI lag
  • First round closed June, a record US$7 billion, backed by Tencent and CATL
  • Company may still resume; Bloomberg has not verified the transcript
Sources (2) BTZB
  • BT COMPANIES & MARKETS — “DeepSeek suspends fundraising after founder's alleged US-China comments go viral: sources”
  • ZB China News — “传内部会议录音外传后 深度求索暂停第二轮融资 (DeepSeek suspends second funding round after internal meeting recording reportedly leaked)”
08

Temasek to invest in defence as Europe lifts military budgets

  • EMEA is 12% of the $518 billion portfolio; about €13 billion invested in two years
  • Target of up to €17 billion in the region by 2029
  • Focus on dual-use tech, with ESG limits excluding biological and chemical warfare
Sources (2) STTM
  • ST Business — “Temasek eyes defence deals as Europe boosts military spending”
  • TM Local News — “தற்காப்புத்துறையில் தெமாசெக் அதிக முதலீடு (Temasek to invest more in the defence sector)”
09

Van rams Berlin Pride crowd, killing one and injuring 16

  • Attack near Tiergarten, shortly before 10pm on July 25
  • Three of the injured in a life-threatening condition; several stabbed
  • Police name a 21-year-old prime suspect and cite indications of Islamist motive
Sources (3) STZBTM
  • ST World — “Search for suspect in deadly car ramming at Berlin Pride event”
  • ZB News Focus — “柏林货车冲撞致一死29伤　嫌犯疑涉伊斯兰极端主义 (Berlin van ramming kills one and injures 29; suspect believed linked to Islamist extremism)”
  • TM World News — “பெர்லின் கூட்டத்திற்குள் கார் புகுந்ததில் ஒருவர் மரணம்; காரோட்டி சிக்கினார் (One dead after car drives into Berlin crowd; driver identified)”
10

Super El Nino could bleach Singapore's reefs again in 2027

  • Highest risk window March to May 2027, as El Nino weakens
  • El Nino conditions already present, likely strong by August and September
  • Bleaching followed El Nino in 1998, 2010, 2016 and 2024
Sources (2) ST
  • ST Science — “A super El Nino in 2027 could put Singapore's corals under threat again”
  • ST Science — “'Good' bacteria, heat conditioning may help S'pore corals survive warmer seas”

Follow-ups

Iran/Hormuz war and ceasefire

US pauses Iran strikes for a second night as war reaches two more seas

  • 13 nights of strikes halted; Iran suspends reciprocal attacks
  • Naval blockade still in full effect; a tanker struck a mine off Hormuz
  • Zelensky says Ukraine hit a Russian vessel in the Caspian; Netanyahu visits Washington on July 28
Sources (4) STZBBT
  • ST World — “Iran war spreads to Red and Caspian seas as US pauses Gulf strikes”
  • ST World — “Iran's southern cities on edge as US targets sites close to Hormuz”
  • ZB News Front Page — “为外交斡旋制造空间　美伊连续两日未相互攻击 (Creating space for diplomatic mediation: US and Iran go two days without attacking each other)”
  • BT International — “US, Iran pause more strikes after recent escalation”

India exam-leak protests

India's exam protesters call off five-week Jantar Mantar sit-in

  • Celebrations followed Pradhan's July 25 resignation
  • Group stood down on government assurances over remaining demands
  • Amendment planned for harsher penalties on paper leaks
Sources (3) STTM
  • ST Front Page World News — “'It is a win for democracy': 'Cockroaches' celebrate hard-won victory in India, vow to keep fighting”
  • TM India News — “புதிய கல்வி அமைச்சருக்கு காத்திருக்கும் சவால்கள் (Challenges awaiting the new education minister)”
  • TM India News — “பொதுத் தேர்வு வினாத்தாள் முறைகேட்டுக்கு கடுமையான தண்டனை தர சட்டத்திருத்தம் (Law amendment to impose severe penalties for public examination paper malpractice)”

China summer floods and typhoons

Typhoon Noul lands at Huizhou as 715,000 evacuate in Guangdong

  • Landfall about 3.50am July 26, severe typhoon strength
  • 12 Guangdong cities halt work, classes, production, transport and business
  • 20 Changi flights to Hong Kong and Shenzhen cancelled; 21 injured in Hong Kong
Sources (4) STZBBH
  • ST World — “Southern China faces flood risk as Typhoon Noul hits land”
  • ZB China News — “强台红霞惠州登陆 广东疏散逾71万人 (Severe Typhoon Hongxia makes landfall at Huizhou; Guangdong evacuates over 710,000)”
  • ZB China News — “甘肃渭源景区山洪　已致10人死23人伤 (Flash flood at a Weiyuan scenic area in Gansu kills 10 and injures 23)”
  • BH Berita — “Lebih 20 penerbangan S'pura-selatan China dibatal dek Taufan Noul (More than 20 Singapore to southern China flights cancelled due to Typhoon Noul)”

Northern Hemisphere heatwave 2026

France and Spain fires displace more than 300,000

  • Gironde department alone past 200,000 evacuated
  • About 60,000 leave villages in Spain's Avila province
  • Two French firefighters died near Bordeaux; one death near Valencia
Sources (2) ZBBH
  • ZB News Front Page — “法国西班牙林火持续失控　逾30万居民旅客紧急疏散 (Wildfires still out of control in France and Spain; more than 300,000 residents and travellers evacuated)”
  • BH Dunia — “220,000 dipindah dek kebakaran hutan terbesar di Perancis (220,000 moved because of France's largest wildfire)”

Russia-Ukraine war

Zelensky: Russia wants 30,000 more North Korean troops

  • Would take cumulative deployments past 50,000 since October 2024
  • Reception preparations under way in Voronezh since June
  • 12 killed, including five children, at a camp in occupied Zaporizhzhia
Sources (2) ZBST
  • ZB News Focus — “俄国寻求朝鲜增派3万士兵 若军事合作升级将危及周边 (Russia seeks 30,000 more North Korean troops; escalating military cooperation would endanger the region)”
  • ST World — “12 dead in holiday camp attack in Russian-held part of Ukraine”

UK Burnham government

Burnham rules out an election before 2029 in first BBC interview

  • Britain's seventh prime minister in a decade, in office since July 20
  • Says defending the national interest comes before anything else
  • Trump moved from calling him extremely liberal to praising their conversation
Sources (2) BTST
  • BT International — “UK's Burnham would call out Trump if in Britain's interest, he tells BBC”
  • ST World — “Burnham's first week as PM signals shift in focus, style for Labour govt”

Malaysia Bersama and snap polls

Fahmi: no general election this year, no preparations under way

  • Contradicts BN deputy chairman Mohamad Hasan's year-end prediction
  • Parliament's term runs to Dec 19, 2027; polls due by mid-February 2028
  • Sanusi Nor's racial remark tests the first BN-PN electoral pact
Sources (2) ZBBH
  • ZB World News — “安华政府：今年内不会举行大选 (Anwar government: no general election will be held this year)”
  • BH Berita — “Zahid: Tiada perbincangan PRU16 lebih awal (Zahid: No discussion of holding the 16th general election early)”

DR Congo Ebola outbreak

Congo Ebola cases top 3,000 with 1,354 deaths

  • Case fatality running near 45 per cent of recorded infections
  • WHO has warned the virus is outrunning the response
  • Singapore gave $2.5 million to the regional effort in July
Sources (1) TM
  • TM World News — “காங்கோவில் 3,000ஐக் கடந்த இபோலா தொற்று; 1,354 பேர் உயிரிழந்ததால் பீதி (Ebola infections cross 3,000 in Congo; panic as 1,354 die)”

Commonwealth Games 2026

Ramsay-Peaty takes 100m breaststroke bronze in Glasgow

  • Bid for a third straight Commonwealth title falls short
  • Says he will relook his formula after the race
  • Swimming carries a programme trimmed to about 10 sports
Sources (1) ST
  • ST Sport — “Ramsay-Peaty to relook formula after bronze”

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