BT Lens On

Headline news for July 22, 2026:  Oil prices surged to a five-week high today, as two oil tankers carrying Saudi crude to Asia reversed course in the Red Sea. U.S. President Donald Trump announced that U.S. imported generic drugs will face a 100% tariff in August 2028. SGX will launch 3 SDRs for U.S.-listed companies, Grab, Sea and SpaceX today. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to sta...

Headline news for July 21, 2026: Yemen's Houthis declare a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia effective immediately threatening to close the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and cut a further seven per cent of global oil supply. Mediators have put a ten-day ceasefire proposal to Iran in a bid to salvage the interim deal. Andy Burnham takes power as Britain's new prime minister.  Synopsis: A round up of globa...

Headline news for July 20, 2026: A third US service member is confirmed killed in the Iran conflict, bringing the total death toll to seventeen since February. Brent crude crosses ninety U.S. dollars a barrel as fighting enters its ninth consecutive night. The Strait of Hormuz traffic crashes to just four vessels on Sunday, its lowest in weeks.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to sta...

Headline news for July 17, 2026: Singapore's electronics exports surge one hundred and five per cent in June on AI-driven demand even as overall export growth moderates. US and Iranian forces exchange fire for a sixth consecutive night as the June truce continues to unravel. Gold falls below four thousand US dollars an ounce.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The...

Headline news for July 16, 2026: The Bank of Korea raises rates for the first time in three and a half years as inflation hits a two-and-a-half-year high driven by Middle East energy costs. A Pew Research survey finds China now viewed more favourably than the US in most countries surveyed including key U.S. allies. Asian chip stocks tumble.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start y...

Headline news for July 15, 2026: The US naval blockade on Iran is now in force as of four this morning Singapore time. Two UAE tankers are set ablaze and one mariner killed as Iran strikes commercial vessels for the fourth consecutive day. US inflation comes in softer than expected, easing fears of a near-term Federal Reserve rate hike.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your...

Headline news for July 14, 2026: President Trump reinstates the Iran blockade and declares the US the Guardian of the Strait of Hormuz announcing a twenty per cent fee on all cargo transiting the waterway, effective four this Wednesday morning Singapore time. Singapore's economy grows five-point-seven per cent in the second quarter, beating expectations despite months of Middle East disruption.&nb...

Headline news for July 13, 2026: A fire at a Bangkok pub kills twenty-seven people and injures sixty-three overnight — many found trapped in restrooms at the back of the venue. Iran claims to have closed the Strait of Hormuz again as US and Iranian forces exchange heavy strikes. Federal Reserve chair Kevin Warsh faces Congress for the first time today.  Synopsis: A round up of global he...

Headline news for July 10, 2026: Iran fires missiles and drones at US military bases in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Jordan as US strikes hit near the perimeter of Iran's only civilian nuclear plant at Bushehr. Australia agrees to sell uranium to India. Andy Burnham is on track to become Britain's next prime minister.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business T...

Headline news for July 9, 2026: President Trump declares the Iran ceasefire memorandum over at the NATO summit in Ankara. The US strikes Kharg Island and Iran's parliamentary speaker vows Tehran will not fold. The EU Aviation Safety Agency recommends airlines avoid Iran, Iraq and Lebanon airspace until August 31. Singapore's Category A COE hits a record one hundred and twenty-nine thousand dollars...

As Singapore prepares its workforce for the AI era, beyond upskilling, is it reshaping workers' identities and sense of self? In this episode of Lens on Singapore, Claressa Monteiro speaks with Dr Christopher Cheok, assistant chairman of the Medical Board for Digital Health at the Institute of Mental Health, and David Leong, managing director of PeopleWorldwide Consulting. From unpacking the chang...

Headline news for July 8, 2026: The US launches a new wave of strikes on Iran and revokes its oil sanctions waiver after Iran attacks three tankers in the Strait of Hormuz including a Qatari LNG vessel. Indonesia and India sign landmark defence deals in Jakarta. Singapore commits eight hundred million dollars to transform its transport sector.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to star...

Headline news for July 7, 2026: Russia kills at least twenty-two people in a massive overnight strike on Kyiv on the eve of the NATO summit in Ankara. Belgium beat the United States four-one in Seattle. Charles De Ketelaere scored twice and Romelu Lukaku in the 93rd minute and are through to the World Cup quarterfinals.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Busine...

Headline news for July 6, 2026: PM Lawrence Wong travels to Jakarta for the annual Singapore-Indonesia Leaders' Retreat as the Philippine VP Sara Duterte's impeachment trial opens today. FIFA lifts USA’s Balogun's red card ban after President Trump reportedly calls FIFA's Infantino. Belgium is furious and the match kicks off tonight Singapore time. 160 vessels transited the Strait of Hormuz...

Headline news for July 2, 2026: Qatar reports positive progress in indirect US-Iran talks in Doha  but the Strait of Hormuz remains designated a war zone under international shipping agreements until at least July 9. South Korea's market falls more than 5 per cent as a chipmaker selloff rattles Asian markets. Singapore's High Court sends the 1MDB-linked Standard Chartered case to trial. ...

Headline news for July 1, 2026: South Korea's exports surpass one hundred billion US dollars for the first time ever in June, up 70.9 per cent on AI-driven chip demand. Iran refuses to meet US envoys in Doha saying ceasefire terms must be resolved first. Singapore's HDB resale prices fall for a second consecutive quarter. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business T...

Headline news for June 30, 2026: The U.S. Supreme Court blocks President Trump from firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook while dramatically expanding his power to fire all other independent agency heads. Iran and the US send delegations to Doha this week but Tehran says the two sides are not actually meeting each other.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The B...

Headline news for June 29, 2026: Iran fires on US bases in Kuwait and Bahrain over the weekend before both sides agree to stand down and resume talks in Qatar on Tuesday. South Korea is set to unveil a semiconductor mega-hub that could attract hundreds of billions in Samsung and SK investment. Venezuela's earthquake death toll nears fifteen hundred.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines t...

Headline news for June 26, 2026: The UN pauses its Strait of Hormuz evacuation operation after a cargo vessel is struck near Oman,  two U.S. officials say Iran fired the projectile, even as overall tanker traffic hits its highest daily flow since the war began. Five million people in southern Taiwan are off work as Tropical Storm Mekkhala brings torrential rain.  Synopsis: A round up of...

Headline news for June 25, 2026: Three International Criminal Court judges sue President Trump in Manhattan, calling his sanctions a financial death penalty. A magnitude 6.9 earthquake strikes northern Japan this morning with no casualties reported but Shinkansen services suspended. Oil falls to its lowest level since the Iran war began as more tankers prepare to exit the Strait of Hormuz.  S...

By many measures, Singapore continues to perform strongly economically. Yet some Singaporeans feel their personal aspirations are becoming more difficult to realise. In this episode of  Lens on Singapore , Claressa Monteiro speaks with Professor Wei-Jun Jean Yeung, director of Social Sciences at A*STAR Institute for Human Development and Potential (A*STAR IHDP), and Associate Professor Walter...

Headline news for June 24, 2026: Both chambers of Congress have passed a war powers resolution directing President Trump to end the Iran war though it carries no binding legal force. The US and Iran offer conflicting accounts of what was agreed in Switzerland, casting doubt on the peace framework. Asian markets bounce back after Wall Street's tech-led selloff.  Synopsis: A round up of global...

Headline news for June 23, 2026: The US formally waives Iran sanctions as tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz resumes but full oil flow recovery could take until December. SpaceX shares fall sixteen per cent in a single session, wiping out more than six hundred billion US dollars over three days. Malaysia's Conference of Rulers is cancelled at the last minute.  Synopsis: A round up of...

Headline news for June 22, 2026: As US-Iran peace talks enter a critical phase, investors remain wary of the risks to global energy supplies and economic stability. Closer to home, Singapore's currency outlook remains resilient, while AI firm Databricks signals continued confidence in the Republic with plans for a major expansion.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by...

Headline news for June 19, 2026: Oil tankers transit the Strait of Hormuz as the US. blockade is lifted but five hundred vessels are waiting and full normalisation could take weeks. The US-Iran deal faces sharp Republican criticism, with senators calling it the worst foreign policy blunder in decades. SpaceX ends its first trading week thirty-seven per cent above its IPO price.  Synopsis: A r...