BT Lens On

Headline news for June 9, 2026: Iran and Israel halt direct attacks on each other after President Trump intervenes but Israel says strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon will continue in full force and Iran warns of crushing retaliation if provoked. Kim Jong Un and Xi Jinping meet in Pyongyang pledging to expand cooperation into a new chapter.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your...

Headline news for June 8, 2026: A powerful earthquake strikes off Mindanao this morning with tsunami warnings issued across the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia with coastal residents ordered to evacuate. Israel launches fresh strikes on Beirut despite the ceasefire as Trump says he will tell Netanyahu to stand down. South Korea's Kospi tumbles nearly seven per cent.  Synopsis: A round up...

Headline news for June 5, 2026: Indonesia's stock market has tumbled thirty-six per cent from its record high as the rupiah hits an all-time low past eighteen thousand to the dollar. Hezbollah rejects a Lebanon ceasefire and Israel refuses to withdraw troops, undermining President Trump's push to link Lebanon peace to an Iran deal.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day b...

Headline news for June 4, 2026: South Korea's ruling Democrats sweep local elections but face a narrow defeat in the Seoul mayoralty. Lebanon and Israel agree to implement a ceasefire contingent on Hezbollah withdrawing from southern Lebanon. The US House passes a war powers resolution directing Trump to end the Iran war but it carries no binding legal force.  Synopsis: A round up of global h...

Headline news for June 3, 2026: Iran fires ballistic missiles at Kuwait and Bahrain but all fail or are intercepted as the US strikes Qeshm Island in response and Iran's Revolutionary Guards warn of a much stronger retaliation to come. Russia kills twenty-three people in an overnight assault on Ukraine. Japan passes an emergency energy budget.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to star...

Headline news for June 2, 2026: Lebanon announces a partial ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel — but Netanyahu says military operations in the south will continue. Anthropic confidentially files for a U.S. IPO at a valuation approaching one trillion U.S. dollars. And Malaysia's Johor state assembly is dissolved with an election due by July 31.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlin...

Headline news for May 29, 2026: Asia’s largest security conference, Shangri-La Dialogue kicks off its twenty-third session in Singapore today. The US and Iran reach a deal to extend the ceasefire, pending President Trump’s approval. Oil prices mixed amidst conflicting reports on the US-Iran agreement to end the war. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Busi...

Headline news for May 28, 2026: US launches new strikes on an Iranian military site, complicating an already uncertain US-Iran draft framework deal. The RBNZ holds rates steady as New Zealand reveals its’ budget today. More discounts on groceries for lower-income Singaporeans. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times.  Written by: Nicole Teo ( nic...

Are we seeing a fragmentation in the rules-based global order? And if so, what does this mean for Singapore? In this episode of Lens on Singapore, Claressa Monteiro speaks to Henry Wilkinson, chief intelligence officer at Dragonfly Intelligence from Dow Jones for his expert take on the biggest geopolitical flashpoints, from the war in the Middle East, to the Taiwan question. With two decades of ex...

Headline news for May 26, 2026:  Singapore and China jointly call for an immediate Middle East ceasefire as Iran's top negotiator heads to Doha for talks even as U.S. forces strike Iranian missile sites and mine-laying boats. Russia warns of systematic strikes on Kyiv and urges foreigners to leave the city.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times...

Headline news for May 25, 2026: Russia launches its largest assault on Kyiv in years with six hundred drones, ninety missiles and a nuclear-capable hypersonic weapon then strikes again overnight killing twelve more. President Trump tells his Iran negotiators not to rush a deal as its outlines take shape. Oil falls below one hundred dollars on deal optimism.  Synopsis: A round up of global hea...

Headline news for May 22, 2026: The M1-Simba merger is officially dead as Tuas Limited terminates its sale agreement following the IMDA's suspension of the review. US-Iran talks remain deadlocked over uranium and Strait of Hormuz tolls with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warning a deal is unfeasible if Iran pursues toll charges on the waterway.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to...

Headline news for May 21, 2026: US President Donald Trump says he was “right on the borderline” between a deal and resuming the war on Iran. OpenAI announces it will open its first Applied AI Lab outside of the US in Singapore. The China-Russia meeting concludes with no significant deals. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times.  Written by...

Headline news for May 20, 2026: Singapore will undergo an IAEA nuclear readiness assessment in 2027 as it considers whether to deploy nuclear energy. President Trump says he was one hour from striking Iran before Gulf leaders intervened, setting next week as the new deadline for a deal. US 30 year bond yields hit an eighteen-year high.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your d...

Headline news for May 19, 2026: President Trump says he paused a planned strike on Iran at the personal request of the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE as a new Iranian peace proposal arrives in Washington. Russia’s President flies to Beijing for talks with Xi Jinping. Oil falls more than two per cent on eased escalation fears.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to star...

Headline news for May 18, 2026: Taiwan President Lai Ching-te responds to President Trump’s silence on Taiwan during the Beijing summit. Ukraine launches its largest drone strikes on Moscow in over a year in retaliation. Singapore’s non-oil domestic exports rose twenty four point five per cent year on year in April, exceeding forecasts. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start...

Headline news for May 15, 2026: President Trump and President Xi wrap up their Beijing summit with a stark warning from Mr Xi that mishandling Taiwan risks collision between the two powers. Both agree the Strait of Hormuz must stay open. Russia launches its largest drone assault of the Ukraine war. And Singapore's Circle Line completes its loop on July twelfth.  Synopsis: A round up of global...

Headline news for May 14, 2026: President Trump sits down with President Xi in Beijing today with trade, Taiwan, AI and Iran on the table and the CEOs of Apple, Tesla and Nvidia in tow. Kevin Warsh is confirmed as Fed chair in the most partisan confirmation vote in US history.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times.  Written by: Claressa Monteir...

Professor Joseph Liow, chairman of the Middle East Institute, joins Lens on Singapore’s Claressa Monteiro to cut through the noise around the Iran conflict and bring it into the Singapore context. Two Singaporeans in conversation about energy exposure, diplomatic tightropes, social cohesion and what it really means to be a small open economy in an increasingly volatile world. This is not a l...

Headline news for May 13, 2026: President Trump declares Americans' financial pain is not even a little bit of a factor in his Iran negotiations — as U.S. inflation hits a three-year high and he flies to Beijing for a two-day summit with Xi Jinping. Asian stocks slip as hot inflation data and the Iran deadlock sour sentiment.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day b...

Headline news for May 12, 2026: President Trump calls the Iran ceasefire on life support and dismisses Tehran's peace proposal as a piece of garbage as the two sides remain deadlocked. Japan's bond yields hit their highest level since nineteen-ninety-seven as the Bank of Japan faces growing pressure to raise rates.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Ti...

Headline news for May 11, 2026: President Trump calls Iran's latest peace proposal totally unacceptable as the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait all report Iranian drone strikes over the weekend. Two Singaporean hikers are confirmed dead in the Mount Dukono eruption. And Thailand's Thaksin Shinawatra walks free this morning on parole after eight months in prison.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines...

Episode Title: Iran and the U.S. Close In on a War-Ending Deal, Wall Street Hits Records and Oil Falls    Headline news for May 7, 2026: Iran reviews a U.S. peace proposal as reports emerge that Washington and Tehran are closing in on a one-page deal to end the war including a moratorium on nuclear enrichment. Wall Street hits record highs, AMD surges seventeen per cent on AI chip demand...

Headline news for May 6, 2026: President Trump pauses Project Freedom citing great progress toward a final Iran deal but the naval blockade holds as another ship was struck in the Strait overnight. Secretary of State Rubio confirms Operation Epic Fury is formally over. Oil falls for a second day and gold extends its recovery on deal optimism.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start...

Headline news for May 5, 2026: Project Freedom triggers a sharp escalation as the U.S. sinks six Iranian boats and Iran fires missiles at a UAE port with the ceasefire hanging by a thread. In Singapore, Parliament opens today with a landmark motion on AI and job disruption as labour chief Ng Chee Meng calls for a guarantee of no jobless growth.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to sta...