Manufacturing in Singapore exceeded forecast by 7.1% in July.
Data released on Tuesday (Aug 26) by the Economic Development Board revealed that July's factory output grew 7.1% from a year earlier. This figure, which aligned with June's downward revision, substantially outperformed expectations. Consequently, while a second-half slowdown is still anticipated, the strong results prompted increased optimism among some economists.
Sea overtakes DBS as the most valuable company in Southeast Asia.
Sea Ltd. has regained its position as Southeast Asia's most valuable public company, overtaking DBS Group Holdings. This follows a 300% stock surge, driven by the strong performance of its e-commerce platform Shopee. With a market capitalization of $111 billion, Sea now overtakes the regional banking giant DBS, which is valued at $110.3 billion. Shopee's dominant position in the region has been solidified by record sales, successfully competing against rivals like TikTok and Lazada.
Singapore is piloting the use of autonomous AI agents for public service delivery.
On Thursday (Aug 28), Minister for Digital Development and Information Josephine Teo said that Artificial intelligence (AI) agents, or software systems using AI to autonomously complete tasks on behalf of users, could be used to help improve Singapore’s public services in the years to come. This could be in the form of helping social workers provide basic guidance to clients in meeting administrative requirements, or to help business owners navigate through the process of identifying which government agency they need to deal with.
Singapore is again Asia's most peaceful nation, and 6th globally.
According to a new Global Peace Index report, Singapore remains Asia's most peaceful nation and ranks 6th globally. The study, compiled by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), highlights Singapore's exceptional performance in safety and security. Japan and Malaysia were the only other Asian nations in the top 15.
NUS scientist wants to expand research to help vulnerable groups in S’pore, S-E Asia beat the heat
Rising global temperatures are pushing governments to act. Singapore, for example, has launched a national heat advisory, sector-specific response plans, and aims to coat more HDB blocks with heat-reflective paint by 2030. To aid more vulnerable groups like outdoor workers and children, NUS's Assoc. Prof. Jason Lee aims to expand researches and develop sustainable cooling strategies that reduce reliance on air-conditioning.