BT Lens On

Hand-held radios used by armed group Hezbollah detonated yesterday across Lebanon's south; Sri Lanka's presidential candidates wrapped up their campaigning yesterday, 48 hours before the election; researchers here have made a breakthrough in reversing the age of women’s eggs, paving the way for greater success in assisted reproductive technologies such as IVF. Synopsis: A round up of global headli...

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris called overnight for an end to the Israel-Gaza war. The European Union announces a new team, Japan’s Nippon Steel hits an acquisition roadblock, North Korea fires more weapons tests and in Singapore the island is gearing up for the F1 race this weekend.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times.  Written b...

Putin orders the size of the Russian army to be increased by 180,000 troops to 1.5 million; heavy rainfall pounding Central Europe has prompted deadly flooding in the region; the strongest typhoon to hit Shanghai since at least 1949 swept over the financial hub yesterday; the Philippines will continuously deploy vessels in the South China Sea; in Singapore, the number of single family offices rose...

A second assassination attempt on Trump in the U.S, Italian army to guard medical workers, Typhoon Bebica makes landfall in China, Malaysia’s Parti Islam SeMalaysia says it is prepared to shutdown Malaysia’s only casino and in Singapore a study shows more than 1 in 100 children have autism.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times.  Written by: Lee Kim Sian...

Israeli airstrikes across Gaza hit a U N school sheltering displaced Palestinian families as well as two homes, killing at least 34 people; North Korea fired multiple short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea today, lawyers in the Republic can use a new artificial intelligence service to research and summarise walls of text from some 15,000 case judgments throughout Singapore’s judicial histor...

The Israeli military said an American activist killed in the West Bank last week was likely shot “indirectly and unintentionally” by its soldiers. In Australia, thousands of anti-war protesters clashed with police today outside a military arms convention in downtown Melbourne. And in Singapore cabbies, private-hire drivers and freelance delivery workers who rely on online matching platforms for in...

Two decades behind bars is a really long time, and Stam is ready for a new life. But first, he’s got to get through his first day at work. BT Lens On dives into the challenges of finding and keeping a job after serving time in Singapore, and the people who are making a difference. Synopsis: A monthly podcast series from The Business Times on current affairs, societal issues and government policies...

The UN chief said yesterday that the United Nations has offered to monitor any cease-fire in Gaza; a blockbuster new Chinese video game has put an unexpected spotlight on longstanding claims of rampant sexism in China’s male-dominated gaming culture; whether the close relationship between the PAP and NTUC is good for workers here was the subject of a 30-minute exchange in Parliament yesterday. Syn...

Supporters of President Vladimir Putin and his war in Ukraine were set to win gubernatorial races across Russia. Pope Francis travelled to the remote jungles of Papua New Guinea on Sunday to celebrate the Catholic Church on the peripheries. Singapore is forecast to have the largest share of passenger electric vehicles in South-east Asia by 2040. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start yo...

The number of Americans filing new applications for jobless benefits declined last week as layoffs remained low. Pope Francis and the grand imam of Southeast Asia’s largest mosque vow to fight religiously inspired violence and protect the environment and in Singapore the hearing of S. Iswaran the former transport minister’s case has been adjourned to September 24. Synopsis: A round up of global he...

The White House is scrambling to put forward a new proposal for a Gaza ceasefire and the release of hostages by Hamas in the coming days; around 8,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh in recent months, escaping escalating violence in Myanmar's western Rakhine state; tax collection in Singapore rose by 17 per cent, continuing an upward trajectory on the back of economic growth and higher no...

The U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges overnight against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other senior militants in connection with the October 7, 2023. Russian President Vladimir Putin received a red-carpet welcome to Mongolia on Tuesday, as the country ignored calls to arrest him. And in Singapore news Malaysia’s Vehicle Entry Permit counter in Woodlands is set to be turned into a c...

Venezuela's attorney general's office said a court has issued an arrest warrant for opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez, accusing him of conspiracy and other crimes; Pope Francis is heading to Indonesia to start the longest trip of his pontificate, hoping to encourage its Catholic community and celebrate the tradition of interfaith harmony; about 10,500 Housing Board flats were completed in the fir...

Massive protests swept Israel on September 1st following the death of six hostages in Gaza. In Asia Tropical Storm Shanshan brought torrential rain to Japan’s Shizuoka area southwest of Tokyo and in Singapore, the Ministry of Health will soon make it mandatory for some items to carry Nutri-Grade labels. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times.  Written by:...

French President Emmanuel Macron pledge to deepen ties with Britain over defence, security, migration and energy. A Hong Kong court convicted two former editors of a shuttered news outlet, in a sedition case widely seen as a barometer for the future of media freedoms in a city and Singapore’s Paralympian swimmer Yip Pin Xiu kicked off her campaign at the Paris Paralympics winning gold. Synopsis: A...

Israeli forces launched a large operation in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday and into yesterday; a typhoon lashed southern Japan with torrential rain and strong winds today, causing at least three deaths; consumers face friction when they buy items online from overseas merchants, according to a new survey. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times.  Written...

Russia said the West was playing with fire by considering allowing Ukraine to strike deep into Russia with Western missiles. In Asia news China accused Canada of protectionism after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government imposed a 100% tariff on imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles and in Singapore, about 60,000 jobless Singapore residents will stand to benefit each year from a new job se...

Russia battered much of Ukraine yesterday, firing scores of missiles and drones that killed four people, injured more than a dozen and damaged energy facilities; Gunmen in southwestern Pakistan killed at least 38 people in three separate attacks yesterday; the Singapore dollar advanced to its strongest in almost a decade. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business T...

Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo come up empty; 5.2 million affected by floods in Bangladesh and Singapore explores underground heat to harness power. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times.  Written by: Lee Kim Siang / Claressa Monteiro ( claremb@sph.com.sg )  Recording engineer: Joann Chai Pei Chieh Produced and edited by: Lee Kim Siang & Claressa Monte...

U.S. regulators will not be able to finalise contentious bank capital hikes before the November presidential election. A political crisis in Indonesia was narrowly averted with the 11th-hour cancellation of plans to pass a controversial Bill. And in Singapore, temperature and visual screening will be carried out at Changi and Seletar airports from today as a precautionary measure against the impor...

In the U.S. investors are grappling with the market implications of a possible Kamala Harris presidential administration. Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese premier Li Qiang overnight, hailing growing trade relations and in Singapore, The Ministry of Home Affairs said that it is investigating the preacher, Amir Hamza. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The...

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken departed the Middle East with an agreement between Israel and Hamas still elusive. Approvals for new coal-fired power plants in China dropped sharply in the first half of this year and in Singapore, the latest change in HDB rules has reduced the LTV limit for HDB housing loans from 80 per cent to 75 per cent. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start...

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken claims Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accepted a "bridging proposal; Indonesian President Joko Widodo reshuffles his Cabinet and HDB tightens rules to cool Singapore’s public housing resale market. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times.  Written by: Lee Kim Siang / Claressa Monteiro ( claremb@sph.com.sg...

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Israel on his ninth trip, in his latest effort to push for a ceasefire and hostage-release deal in Gaza; Paetongtarn Shinawatra becomes Thailand’s youngest prime minister; and Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong delivers his maiden National Day Rally - largely seen as the most important political speech of the year. Synopsis: A round up of globa...

Ukraine has chalked up a string of victories more than a week since blindsiding Russia with a lightning cross-border assault. Paetongtarn Shinawatra, the daughter of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, will be nominated as the country’s new prime minister in a parliamentary vote. Singapore and the Philippines have agreed to strengthen cooperation on carbon credits and the development of...