BT Lens On

Headline news for August 25, 2026: The US launches Operation Economic Outcast sweeping new Iran sanctions targeting sixty entities across shipping, oil, gold, aviation and digital assets, with a cure period before the toughest measures on major trading partners take effect. Singapore is named in a US report on transhipment fraud as an AI border detection tool is deployed.  Synopsis: A round u...

Headline news for August 24, 2026: Singapore’s PM Wong announces a fundamental shift in family support at the National Day Rally with more childcare leave, lower preschool fees and greater financial support throughout the child-raising years. US Treasury Secretary Bessent writes of an economic D-Day for Iran in the Financial Times, with a sweeping sanctions package due to be announced. ...

Headline news for August 21, 2026: Large-scale Russian airstrike killed 16 people and wounded more than 40 in Kyiv. US President Donald Trump has threatened economic penalties against countries that provide any support to Iran. China Evergrande Group’s founder Hui Ka Yen sentenced to life in prison. Singapore and India strengthen cooperation in multiple areas. Synopsis: A round up of global...

Headline news for August 20, 2026: United States total debt crossed a historic 40 trillion US dollar threshold. Ukraine’s lawmakers have approved Yevhenii Khmara as the country’s new defence minister. South Korea and the United States will cut short ​annual joint military drills to five days from eleven. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times.&...

Headline news for August 19, 2026: US President Donald Trump insists the Strait of Hormuz remains open, while Iran says the strategic waterway is still closed to shipping. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will be visiting South Korea today and tomorrow. Facebook, Instagram and TikTok will face tougher advertiser checks under new Singapore rules. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start yo...

Headline news for August 18, 2026: Iran says it is moving fully offensive as negotiations with the United States to end the conflict reach a stalemate. The US-Iran 60-day ceasefire deal, agreed on June 17, expires today as Washington has ruled out extending the agreement. In Singapore, late-night liquor sales in Boat Quay and Clarke Quay, as well as the weekend car-free zone at Circular Road, will...

Headline news for August 17, 2026: US President Trump intensifies economic pressure on Iran while scaling back South Korean military drills; a devastating 7.7-magnitude earthquake strikes Indonesia, displacing thousands and Berkshire Hathaway aggressively expands its stake in Alphabet, becoming its third-largest stock holding. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Busin...

Headline news for August 14, 2026: The United States said it could keep its naval blockade of Iran in place indefinitely, as ceasefire talks stall and tensions across the region continue to rise. India’s trade deficit widened more than expected in July, as the Middle East conflict pushed up oil and freight costs, increasing the country’s import bill. Workers’ Party chief Pritam S...

Headline news for August 13, 2026: US President Donald Trump said the United States is in full control of the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran says no progress in talks to revive the interim agreement. Tata Sons’ Chairman N. Chandrasekaran to step down in February next year. US inflation data remained unchanged, increasing 0.1% largely contained in July. Synopsis: A round up of global headlines...

Headline news for August 12, 2026: North Korea fires its 11 ballistic missile of the year from Wonsan at six this morning Singapore time days ahead of joint US-South Korea military drills. Four crew members are killed in a Houthi attack on a cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait as attacks on two shipping chokepoints intensify simultaneously.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to star...

Headline news for August 11, 2026: Singapore upgrades its 2026 GDP growth forecast to 4.5 to 5.5 per cent, driven by stronger-than-expected first-half growth on the back of the global AI investment boom. A US court dismisses fraud and bribery charges against Gautam Adani, though the judge calls the Justice Department's decision concerning. Iran rejects US compensation demands.  Synopsis: A ro...

Headline news for August 7, 2026: OCBC's Q2 profit surges 22 per cent to S$2.22  billion, declaring a $0.47 interim dividend. UOB's profit rises 10 per cent. The US imposes a 15 per cent tariff on polysilicon targeting Chinese semiconductor and solar supply chains. Houthis wound eleven civilians in southern Saudi Arabia as further attacks are warned imminent.  Synopsis: A round up of glo...

Headline news for August 6, 2026: Iran and Oman agree the geographical coordinates of a proposed Hormuz shipping route but the waterway stays closed as long as the US naval blockade holds and a fee dispute remains unresolved. DBS declares eighty-one cents in dividends per share as net profit grows nine per cent on record wealth management income.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to s...

Singapore's retrenchments have risen to their highest level since 2020, with degree holders and mid-career professionals among the hardest hit. In this episode of Lens on Singapore, Claressa Monteiro sits down with Desmond Tan, Deputy Secretary-General of NTUC and Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, to discuss the factors driving job losses, how AI is reshaping the workf...

Headline news for August 5, 2026: Iran wants full control of inbound shipping through the Strait of Hormuz under a framework being negotiated with Oman and its position is unlikely to change. Oil falls more than five per cent and Wall Street closes at record highs as hopes grow for a diplomatic resolution to the Iran war.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Busi...

Headline news for August 4, 2026: President Donald Trump said the US is engaged in talks with Iran, while Tehran has flatly denied that any negotiations are underway or scheduled. Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's detained former leader, met with an International Committee of the Red Cross representative yesterday. Singapore's manufacturing sector expanded at a slightly faster pace in July, buoyed by th...

Headline news for August 3, 2026: The US and Japan conduct their first coordinated yen intervention since 1998 with Tokyo estimated to have spent US$53.7 billion to halt the yen's slide. US-Iran talks resume today but reports of a cruise missile strike on a US oil tanker in the Strait cast fresh doubt on prospects.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Ti...

Headline news for July 31, 2026: UEFA and all fifty-five European member nations vote unanimously to boycott the World Cup unless FIFA abandons its plan to sell private stakes in its tournaments. Microsoft surges fifteen per cent: its biggest single-day gain in eighteen years, adding US$450 billion dollars in market value. The Bank of Japan holds rates at one per cent and upgrades its GDP forecast...

Headline news for July 30, 2026: U.S. Central Command announces fresh strikes on Iran, following a drone strike on an Egypt tanker, and Iran’s attack on a U.S. military base in Jordan. Japan’s rescue teams race against time in their search for survivors after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake on Tuesday. Taiwan’s United Microelectronics Corp announces expansion of cleanroom capacity in...

Headline news for July 29, 2026:  A magnitude 7.1 earthquake strikes Kumamoto in southwestern Japan with at least thirteen confirmed dead, an Aeon Mall partially collapses and three hundred thousand people are ordered to evacuate. US and Saudi forces conduct joint strikes in Iraq against Iran-aligned militant groups. Malaysia's surprise Formula One return triggers a one-hundred-and-six per ce...

Headline news for July 28, 2026:  US-Iran diplomatic contacts resume but Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq report fresh drone attacks overnight. China confirms for the first time that the US has committed to cap replacement tariffs on Chinese goods at twenty per cent.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to start your day by The Business Times.  Written by: Claressa Monteiro (clare...

Headline news for July 27, 2026:  Both U.S. and Iranian forces hold fire for a second consecutive day as a regional mediator calls the pause a positive signal for de-escalation. The MAS tightens monetary policy for the second consecutive time as Iran war inflation persists. Oil tumbles five per cent and Asian markets rally on ceasefire hopes.  Synopsis: A round up of global headlines to...

Headline news for July 24, 2026: New US tariffs of ten to twelve-point-five per cent take effect today on sixty trading partners covering ninety-nine per cent of US imports by value. Brent crude holds above one hundred US dollars a barrel as Houthi strikes on Saudi tankers deepen twin chokepoint fears. Singapore tells Washington it is not a tariff target.   Synopsis: A round up of global...

Headline news for July 23, 2026:  Yemen's Houthis strike two Saudi oil tankers: the Encelia and the Layla in the Red Sea early this morning Singapore time, as both the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab al-Mandeb face simultaneous disruption for the first time. Brent crude rises above US$96 a barrel. South Korea's economy beats second-quarter growth forecasts on chip exports.  Synopsis: A roun...

Some businesses are built on strategy. Legacies, however, are built on something deeper. In this episode of Lens on Singapore, Claressa Monteiro sits down with Dawn Wee, executive chairman of Stamford Tyres, to reflect on the lessons learnt from building a family business of four decades, and why purpose lies at the heart of every enduring company. She also shares her personal journey building res...