SGNews
01

EMA clears 900MW of Malaysian solar imports

  • Sembcorp Utilities takes 300MW from Johor's Linggiu Reservoir
  • Southern Solar Alliance cleared for 600MW elsewhere in the peninsula
  • Sembcorp plans a 2.2 gigawatt-peak floating array with up to 4.3 gigawatt-hours of storage
Sources (5) STBTZBBHTM
  • ST ST Front Page — “S'pore gives conditional nod to import solar power from Malaysia”
  • BT Upfront — “Singapore grants approvals to import 900 MW of Malaysian solar power, including from Linggiu Reservoir facility”
  • ZB News Front Page — “两家公司获得有条件批准 从马国半岛进口电力来新 (Two companies receive conditional approval to import electricity from peninsular Malaysia)”
  • BH Front Page — “S'pura lulus import tenaga solar bersyarat dari M'sia (Singapore conditionally approves solar energy imports from Malaysia)”
  • TM Front Page — “நிபந்தனைகளுடன் சிங்கப்பூர் ஒப்புதல் (Singapore gives approval with conditions)”
02

Thai school shooting kills seven; gunman was 14

  • 23 injured at Debsirin Nonthaburi School, north of Bangkok
  • Two teachers and three other staff among the dead
  • Weapon may have entered in a bag; schools had not searched belongings extensively
Sources (4) STZBBHTM
  • ST ST Front Page — “Thailand's authorities to look into security in schools after mass shooting”
  • ZB News Focus — “少年枪杀祖父母再闯校射杀五人后自轰 (Teenager shoots his grandparents dead, then kills five at his school before shooting himself)”
  • BH Front Page — “Remaja 14 tahun tembak mati tujuh di sekolah Thailand sebelum bunuh diri (Fourteen-year-old shoots seven dead at a Thai school before killing himself)”
  • TM Front Page — “தாய்லாந்து பள்ளிக்கூட துப்பாக்கிச்சூட்டில் ஏழு பேர் உயிரிழப்பு (Seven killed in a Thai school shooting)”
03

OCBC Q2 profit up 22%; UOB up 10% on record wealth fees

  • OCBC pays 47 cents, UOB 88 cents, both around a 50% payout ratio
  • UOB's net interest margin narrowed to 1.74% from 1.91%
  • OCBC hit a record $30.50 intraday; UOB closed down 0.64% at $43.30
Sources (5) STBTZB
  • ST Front Page Business — “OCBC to pay 47-cent dividend as Q2 profit jumps 22% to $2.22b”
  • ST Front Page Business — “UOB's Q2 profit up 10% to $1.48b; bank targets regional wealth push”
  • BT Upfront — “OCBC raises 2026 loan growth forecast after Q2 profit jumps 22%, lifts dividend”
  • BT Upfront — “UOB pursues capital-light strategy as Q2 profit rises, trims fee growth outlook”
  • ZB BUSINESS NEWS — “华侨银行次季净利涨22%至22.21亿元 (OCBC's second-quarter net profit rises 22 per cent to $2.221 billion)”
04

Bill would ban genetic data in insurance and hiring

  • Consultation runs to Sept 4; legislation expected in Parliament next year
  • Covers national programme results and commercial testing alike
  • Exception planned for life and critical illness policies above a threshold still being set with MAS
Sources (2) ZBTM
  • ZB News Front Page — “保险公司和雇主将禁索基因检测结果 (Insurers and employers to be barred from demanding genetic test results)”
  • TM Local News — “மரபணுத் தகவல்களை மேலும் நன்கு பாதுகாக்க பொதுமக்களிடம் ஆலோசனை (Public consultation on better protection of genetic information)”
05

First womb transplant birth in South-east Asia

  • Donor was an older relative near menopause who had already given birth
  • Surgery performed at Singapore General Hospital in November 2023
  • Couple have about six months to decide on a second pregnancy before removal
Sources (1) ZB
  • ZB News Front Page — “一张海报开启五年求子路　本地首名获活体子宫移植者顺利产女 (A poster began a five-year quest for a child: Singapore's first living-donor womb transplant recipient gives birth to a daughter)”
06

Ex-Sakae director gets 10.5 years for $15.8m breach of trust

  • Convicted in May on three counts including abetting forgery
  • Chua Wei Tat, 41, and Ho Yew Kong, 56, jailed a year each
  • Founder and majority shareholder of ERC Holdings, with stakes across several ERC entities
Sources (4) STBTZBTM
  • ST Singapore — “Ex-Sakae director who took $15.8m from joint venture gets 10½ years' jail”
  • BT Upfront — “Ex-Sakae director Ong Siew Kwee handed 10.5-year jail term for misappropriating S$15.8m, lying in court”
  • ZB Local News — “串谋伪造文件失信1580万元　荣控股前董事监逾10年 (Conspiring to forge documents and breaching trust over $15.8 million: former director jailed more than 10 years)”
  • TM Local News — “$15.8 மி. களவாடல்; நிறுவன முன்னாள் இயக்குநருக்கு 10.5 ஆண்டுகள் சிறை ($15.8 million misappropriated; former company director jailed 10.5 years)”
07

Lim Tean detained in JB after skipping surrender date

  • Was due to surrender on Aug 3; warrant issued the same day
  • Appeared in court and filed documents 32 times in 2021 without a valid practising certificate
  • Sentence raised from six weeks to three months and a week on the prosecution's appeal
Sources (4) STZBBHTM
  • ST Singapore — “Lawyer Lim Tean arrested in JB after failing to surrender in S'pore”
  • ZB News Focus — “林鼎藏新山被马警逮捕 我国警方正安排押返 (Lim Tean arrested in Johor Bahru by Malaysian police; Singapore police arranging his return)”
  • BH Berita — “Lim Tean ditangkap di JB selepas gagal serah diri di Mahkamah Negara S'pura (Lim Tean arrested in JB after failing to surrender at Singapore's State Courts)”
  • TM Local News — “ஜோகூரில் லிம் தியென் கைது (Lim Tean arrested in Johor)”
08

Lions draw Indonesia 1-1, reach ASEAN semi-finals

  • Second in Group A behind Vietnam, who beat Cambodia 3-1
  • 5,113 at Jalan Besar, roughly 500 of them Indonesian fans
  • Home leg Aug 15, away leg three days later, likely against Thailand
Sources (2) STZB
  • ST Front Page Sport — “Ilhan delivers gift to S'pore”
  • ZB News Front Page — “雄狮晋级亚细安锦标赛半决赛　提前献上国庆礼物 (The Lions reach the ASEAN Championship semi-finals, an early National Day gift)”
09

Meta ordered to pay US$567m into teen mental health fund

  • Public nuisance finding, following a US$375 million consumer protection verdict in March
  • Court also orders changes to how platforms function for young users
  • Over 40 states and 1,300-plus school districts have filed similar suits
Sources (2) STTM
  • ST Big Story — “Court orders Meta to pay New Mexico $727m for harming kids' mental health”
  • TM World News — “அமெரிக்க மாநிலத்திடம் $933 மில்லியன் செலுத்துமாறு மெட்டாவுக்கு உத்தரவு (Meta ordered to pay a US state hundreds of millions)”
10

Ismail Sabri's charging delayed to Aug 27 on health grounds

  • Admitted to the National Heart Institute ahead of a scheduled pacemaker procedure
  • Judge Suzana Hussin granted the adjournment; lawyer says he will fight the charges
  • Follows the declassified Tabung Haji losses report
Sources (4) STZBBHTM
  • ST Front Page World News — “Ex-Malaysian PM Ismail Sabri's court date delayed after hospitalisation”
  • ZB World News — “马前首相依斯迈动心脏手术　原定昨面控案件获展延 (Malaysia's former PM Ismail undergoes heart surgery; his scheduled charging is adjourned)”
  • BH Malaysia — “Perbicaraan Ismail Sabri ditangguh ke 27 Ogos (Ismail Sabri's proceedings adjourned to Aug 27)”
  • TM World News — “இஸ்மாயில் சப்ரி நீதிமன்றத்தில் முன்னிலையாவது ஒத்திவைப்பு (Ismail Sabri's court appearance postponed)”

Follow-ups

Iran/Hormuz war and ceasefire

Iran's Hormuz terms would exclude US and Israeli vessels

  • Compensation from hostile countries required before passage
  • Few US or Israeli-flagged ships have entered the Gulf since February
  • Complex vessel ownership leaves the scope of any ban unclear
Sources (2) STZB
  • ST Big Story — “Iran wants to bar US, Israeli ships from Hormuz in peace accord”
  • ZB World News — “伊朗拟禁美以船只过海峡 支付赔偿金后才开放通行 (Iran plans to bar US and Israeli ships from the strait, opening passage only after compensation is paid)”

Malaysia Bersama and snap polls

MCA returns to Negeri Sembilan's exco after 13 years

  • Eight BN and two PN councillors; nine men and one woman
  • BN holds 18 of 36 assembly seats, PN seven, giving the pact a two-thirds majority
  • MIC leader to be appointed a special representative at exco rank
Sources (3) ZBBH
  • ZB World News — “国阵国盟合组森州政府　马华隔13年重返州内阁 (BN and PN form the Negeri Sembilan government as MCA returns to the state cabinet after 13 years)”
  • ZB World News — “国阵放话甲州选不让席　伊党称谈判仍在进行 (BN says it will not cede seats in the Melaka election; PAS says negotiations are still under way)”
  • BH Malaysia — “Nurul Izzah lepas jawatan Timbalan Presiden PKR (Nurul Izzah relinquishes the PKR deputy presidency)”

Transboundary haze 2026

Kuching hits API 139 as Kalimantan haze reaches Sarawak

  • Serian at 162 and Samarahan at 140, both unhealthy
  • Readings trending up since Aug 1, says Sarawak's environment board
  • Malaysia's scale puts 101 to 200 in the unhealthy band
Sources (1) ZB
  • ZB World News — “印尼烟霾跨境来袭　砂州三区空气质量亮红灯 (Indonesian haze crosses the border as air quality in three Sarawak districts turns red)”

US-China robot and chip controls

US sets 15% tariff and price floors on polysilicon

  • Section 232 proclamation covers polysilicon and its derivatives
  • Aimed at chip and solar supply chains needed to compete with Beijing on AI and energy
  • US solar factories have accused Chinese rivals of dumping for a decade
Sources (2) STZB
  • ST World — “Trump imposes 15% tariff on chips and solar panels to counter China”
  • ZB News Focus — “美征15%多晶硅关税　分析：对中国影响有限德韩企业承压 (US levies a 15 per cent polysilicon tariff; analysts see limited impact on China but pressure on German and South Korean firms)”

FIFA World Cup stake sale

UEFA says its World Cup boycott threat still stands

  • Scrapping the deal met only part of what UEFA demanded
  • CONMEBOL critical; the Confederation of African Football supportive
  • UEFA's July 30 threat is credited with forcing the climbdown
Sources (2) ST
  • ST Sport — “UEFA threat to skip World Cup stays”
  • ST Sport — “FIFA's top execs said to be given ultimatum to sell stake in event”

Japan-South Korea currency intervention

Yen slips to 158.37 after peaking at 155.23 on Aug 3

  • Was near a four-decade low around 164 before the July 30 joint operation
  • At 123.57 per Singapore dollar, up 2.4% from pre-intervention
  • OCBC's Moh Siong Sim expects another intervention as 160 approaches
Sources (2) STZB
  • ST Business — “Yen surrenders nearly half its gains from US-Japan intervention”
  • ZB News Focus — “日元回吐近半涨幅　分析：日美料再联手干预汇市 (The yen gives back nearly half its gains; analysts expect Japan and the US to intervene jointly again)”

Russia-Ukraine war

Ukraine hits refineries 1,300km from the front line

  • Targets in Bashkortostan and Yaroslavl regions
  • Kyiv strikes a day earlier killed at least 17 and destroyed retail warehouses
  • Kyiv firing record drone numbers; Moscow launching all-time-high missile volleys
Sources (2) STTM
  • ST World — “UN chief denounces Russia, Ukraine for civilian deaths”
  • TM World News — “உயிரிழப்புகளை ஏற்படுத்தும் உக்ரேன், ர‌ஷ்யாவுக்கு ஐநா கண்டனம் (UN condemns Ukraine and Russia over the deaths they are causing)”

Beverage container return scheme

Litter jams some of the 1,200 drink return machines

  • Umbrella, slipper, underwear and a nerf gun bullet among items retrieved
  • A plastic cup blocked one machine's opening during a routine check
  • About 5.5 million bottles and cans collected since April 1
Sources (2) STTM
  • ST Big Story — “Umbrella, underwear among litter in reverse vending machines”
  • TM Local News — “மறுசுழற்சி இயந்திரத் தொட்டிகளில் தேவையற்ற குப்பைகள் (Unwanted rubbish in the recycling machine bins)”

DR Congo Ebola outbreak

DR Congo Ebola outbreak passes 4,000 confirmed cases

  • 4,053 cases and 1,850 deaths recorded so far
  • Second largest Ebola outbreak on record and the fastest spreading
  • Over 300 passengers and crew screened after a boat death at Kinshasa
Sources (2) ZBTM
  • ZB World News — “刚果（金）截客船 筛查乘客防伊波拉 (DR Congo intercepts a passenger boat and screens travellers to contain Ebola)”
  • TM World News — “காங்கோ: இபோலா தொற்று எண்ணிக்கை 4,000ஐ கடந்தது (Congo: Ebola infections cross 4,000)”

Young Singaporeans co-living scheme

Over 500 apply for 100-plus discounted co-living rooms

  • Applications ran from July 25 to Aug 4, part of the SG Youth Plan
  • Rooms at 1925 Quarters, Coliwoo Boon Lay and Coliwoo Lutheran, at 30% off
  • Open to those aged 21 to 35, including couples waiting for BTO flats
Sources (1) ST
  • ST Big Story — “Over 500 S'poreans apply for co-living rooms; scheme oversubscribed”

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